Taxi shows a mature Bryan Ferry, suave and controlled, very much in line with his general career from 1979 on.
The choice of songs to cover doesn't make for any surprises -- the same selections of classic rock, pop, and soul numbers dominate, with an interesting ringer here and there like "Amazing Grace." As with his other recent solo records, a cast of thousands supports him, ranging from the Grid's Richard Norris on synth programming to Brit guitar legends Robin Trower and Michael Brook, plus vocalist Carleen Anderson.
All four feature on the opening "I Put a Spell on You," which manages the neat trick of sounding almost exactly like a Ferry original -- what Screamin' Jay Hawkins would have made of it is anyone's guess.
The rest of the album takes a similar tone, either crackling with low-key energy or aiming for a more gentle approach.
The former style turns up in some welcome guises -- thus the take on Fontella Bass' "Rescue Me," here benefiting from a quick beat, mysterious samples and noises buried in the mix and near-subliminal guitar.
An overall highlight is the take on the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties," which balances a certain winsomeness with a subtle air of threat, the music just beautiful enough on the one hand and just creepy enough on the other.
Ferry's treated vocals, made to sound weirdly flat and compressed, heightens the curious mood.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will You Love Me TomorrowGerry Goffin, Carole King | Bryan Ferry | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | Answer MeFred Rauch, Carl Sigman, Gerhard Winkler | Bryan Ferry | Play | 02:46 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 3 | Just One LookGregory Carrol, Doris Payne | Bryan Ferry | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 4 | Rescue MeRaynard Miner, Carl Smith | Bryan Ferry | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | All Tomorrow's PartiesLou Reed | Bryan Ferry | Play | 05:32 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 6 | Amazing GraceJohn Newton | Bryan Ferry | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | TaxiHomer Banks, Charles Brooks | Bryan Ferry | Play | 05:30 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 8 | Because You're MineBryan Ferry | Bryan Ferry | Play | 02:15 | 5 MB | 8 MB |
| 9 | Girl Of My Best Friend | Bryan Ferry | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 10 | Are You Lonesome Tonight_ (Japan Only Bonus Track) | Bryan Ferry | Play | 05:08 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 40 mins | 91 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 237 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carleen Anderson | Vocals |
| 2 | Homer Banks | Composer |
| 3 | Sam Bobrick | Composer |
| 4 | Michael Brook | Guitar |
| 5 | Charles Brooks | Composer |
| 6 | Ross Butler | Composer |
| 7 | Gregory Carrol | Composer |
| 8 | Bob Clearmountain | Mixing |
| 9 | Mel Collins | Sax (Tenor) |
| 10 | Anton Corbijn | Photography |
| 11 | Nicholas Deville | Art Direction |
| 12 | Nathan East | Bass |
| 13 | Steve Ferrone | Drums |
| 14 | Bryan Ferry | Arranger, Art Direction, Composer, Organ, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Strings, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 15 | Michael Giles | Drums |
| 16 | Mike Giles | Drums |
| 17 | Gerry Goffin | Composer |
| 18 | Screamin' Jay Hawkins | Composer |
| 19 | Neil Hubbard | Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 20 | Luis Jardim | Percussion |
| 21 | Flaco Jiménez | Accordion, Guest Artist |
| 22 | Carole King | Composer |
| 23 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering, Remastering |
| 24 | Andy Mackay | Drums, Sax (Alto) |
| 25 | Raynard Miner | Composer |
| 26 | Andy Newmark | Drums |
| 27 | John Newton | Composer |
| 28 | Richard Norris | Engineer, Programming |
| 29 | Richard T. Norris | Engineer |
| 30 | Maceo Parker | Guest Artist, Sax (Alto) |
| 31 | Doris Payne | Composer |
| 32 | Steve Pearce | Bass |
| 33 | Greg Phillinganes | Harp, Strings, Synthesizer, Vibraphone |
| 34 | Fred Rauch | Composer |
| 35 | Lou Reed | Composer |
| 36 | David Sancious | Organ, Organ (Hammond) |
| 37 | Carl Sigman | Composer |
| 38 | Carl Smith | Composer |
| 39 | Chris Stainton | Organ (Hammond), Synthesizer |
| 40 | Sven Taits | Engineer |
| 41 | Robin Trower | Fender Rhodes, Guest Artist, Guitar, Producer, Wah Wah Bass, Wah Wah Guitar |
| 42 | David Williams | Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 43 | David E. Williams | Guitar (Rhythm), Hook |
| 44 | Gerhard Winkler | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |