BUGGY RIDE Album Review

By STEPHEN HARRISON

The Taylor family from Chicago have the blues coursing through their veins from the fillies. Eddie and Vera Taylor are the parents of Brenda Taylor. Both of them had a distinguished career in the blues, most notably Eddie, who in his past was a guitarist with Muddy Waters, HowIin’WoIf, and Jimmy Reed to name but a few.

Surprisingly this is the first album that Brenda and her Chicago Band have recorded. Sweet Home Chicago, kicks off the album in a rather more subdued manner to which we are more familiar. Instead of banging out the vocals, Taylor adopts a more subtle, but very satisfying approach to this Robert Johnson classic. There are four songs on the album that are written by Taylor herself, and a couple that was penned by her parents. I Found Out, written by Vera Taylor, is a fine blues tune. Brenda treats it with reverence and almost an understated charm.

Her vocals are silky smooth, and I feel that there is plenty left in the pipes to be brought to the fore when needed. Help Me, written by Willie Dixon and Rice Miller, allows Brenda Taylor to treat us to her full vocal power. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Her voice is so good, and with the backing of her band, some of whom are related to Brenda Taylor, this is a powerhouse performance of an old blues favorite.

I’m already in love with this album, it’s Chicago blues as blues should be played, simple but oh so effective. I Feel So Bad, written by Eddie Taylor, extols the virtues of a songwriter and blues artist that you have been waiting all your life to hear. Performed by his daughter, it brings back to life such a wonderful blues tune that was largely forgotten about. As well as being a great vocalist, Brenda Taylor is also an adept songwriter as is shown in her song, Smooth Ridin’ Buggy. She seemingly has the whole package, great singer, great band leader, and a songwriter of worthy note. I love this album a lot.