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Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers

"Switching Gears"

Blind Pig BPcD 5045

What a nice surprise this cD is! I have to admit I was expecting a 3 piece band workout that I would be bored with before it was half over. Leave it to Jimmy and producer Jim Gaines to throw me a curve.

The lead cut, I’ve Got Other Plans, says it right there. Even tho’ this song is exactly what I was fearing this release would be full of, Jimmy takes a right turn with Take Me With You When You Go. He enlists chubby carrier and his accordion to take us on a wild zydeco ride that will have you jumping on the furniture! Then another 180 turn is made with Dancing On Broken Glass. Here he sings a duet with Reba Russell on a very jazzy tune. By this time I’m wondering what the hell is going on! Never fear, Jimmy and guest, Lonnie Brooks, share vocals and guitar solos on B. B. King’s It’s My Own Fault. Some nice slow blues here. Monkey brings us back to what we’ve come to expect from Jimmy. This is great "air guitar" rockin’ blues. crank it up, let your hair down and start stompin’ around the living room to this tune. Stay right there for the next one too. Jimmy gets down with an 8+ minute version of Roy Buchanan’s Roy’s Blues that will have you on your knees ripping off the power chords right along with him. He lets you catch your breath with I Wouldn’t change A Thing. This is one of those soul searching ballads that I’m guessing is an ode to his lost marriage. This song kicks off a 4 song trip through the ups and downs our emotions travel after a relationship ends. The titles of the tracks tell the story; Write If You Find Love, I Got To Be Strong, and Gin In The Morning. It gives us a chance to look into the window of his soul. Sandwiched between hot versions of Jimi Hendrix’s Still Raining, Still Dreaming, Jimmy’s tossed us a nice nugget. He and Joe Louis Walker go it acoustic with Joe’s If This Is Love. Joe handles the vocals here.

What makes this disc work for me is the variety. It just shows to go ya that you can’t make assumptions sometimes and bring an open mind to the table. Throughout this release Al Gamble plays some nice B3 and the sax from Joe McGlohon on the Hendrix tracks make it work. This cD will get some time on my platter.

Ken Torvik