(Texas Music Group) Last year, Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez released their debut album Let's Leave This Town, which went on to become the sleeper hit of the year, landing at #3 on the Americana charts. Veteran songwriter Chip Taylor 'discovered'  fiddler Carrie when she performed at South x Southwest in 2001, and invited her to back him on a European tour. While on tour, though Carrie was primarily a fiddler, Chip discovered she had a wonderful singing voice, and coaxed her into doing a few duets. The teaming went over so well with audiences, Chip wrote a few more songs for them to duet on, which eventually resulted in the disc Let's Leave This Town. Carrie's youthful 'twang with attitude' was both the perfect compliment and foil to Chip's gruff, road worn vocals.

Their newly released follow up, The Trouble With Humans is a slightly more polished effort, not production-wise, but in that they seem to have become more comfortable with each other, resulting in a more relaxed, laid back and intimate sound. Their interaction is as natural as two friends- or lovers- having an everyday conversation. All the songs are Chip Taylor originals, with Carrie co-writing three. Joining them on this effort are veteran sidemen that include John Platania (resonator guitar), Dave Mattacks (drums), Redd Volkaert (guitar), Earl Poole Ball (piano), and Lloyd Maines (steel guitar), old pros who's talents shine, yet who know instinctively how to hang back without upstaging the songs or the vocals.

The Trouble With Humans mostly looks at the various aspects of the often rocky road of relationships. The mid-tempo songs include the outstanding "Don't Speak English," with it's offbeat lyrics, looks at wariness of playing the game of love, while "Curves & Things" ponders the things missed in a love gone wrong. They toss in a couple of lovely waltzing ballads, an ode to "Memphis, Texas" and the commitment to weather the hard times in "We Come Shining." The first rate title track, "The Trouble With Humans" is a gently aching ballad about working through a love damaged by human failings. "Confessions" is a stark and edgy song with an almost bluegrass/gospel feel to it, about a woman torn between two men- one of whom isn't her husband, while the mournful "I Need A Wall," tells of a love that's died. The up-tempo numbers are fun and light-hearted romps. The  bluegrassy toe tapper "All The Rain," finds family and friends trying to keep two lovers apart. "Laredo" is an edgy road of life song, while "Dirty Little Texas Story" is a sassy, shuffling tale of a woman with a bad reputation. The disc closes out with a clever hidden track about shooting out the radio and praising the DJs out there who aren't afraid to play the kinds of music they want to play. 

With The Trouble With Humans, Chip and Carrie have delivered a release that tops their wonderful debut. The disc is filled with well crafted and sometimes quirky lyrics, infectious and beautiful melodies, stellar harmony vocals, bare bones production that effectively works to showcase both the songs and the artists, and most of all, a warmly initmate and laid back atmosphere that you'll find yourself wanting to re-visit often.      

Standout Tracks:  "Don't Speak English," "All The Rain," "The Trouble With Humans," "Dirty Little Texas Story," "Confessions", "Hidden Track"

On The Net:  www.txmusicgroup.com