Chip Taylor & the New Ukrainians: F**K All the Perfect People

Chip Taylor & the New Ukrainians
F**K All the Perfect People
(Train Wreck)
[Rating: 2.5 stars]

Mr. Wild Thing sounds awfully sedate on his first full band album ever with his Swedish comrades, the New Ukrainians. Recorded over three, what sounds like really lazy, days in Norway’s Athletic Sound studios, this overlong 70-minute set doesn’t exactly echo the face-slap of its belligerent title. Instead we get the affable Taylor gruffly talk-singing his way through a pleasant batch of snoozy country-folk originals that sound pretty much alike. The subdued band fades into the background, but it’s Taylor’s intimate story songs that create some sparks on these low key sessions. Of note is his performance of “The Baby,” a song he composed for the Hollies that became a minor hit for the group in ‘72.