Billy & the Bullets

A glance at the non-original songs on Billy & the Bullets might lead one to believe this band is short on adventure: Covering tunes like Carl Perkins' "Honey Don't," Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," and Tex Williams' "Smoke That Cigarette" doesn't quite constitute going out on a limb for a rockabilly combo. But the four members of Blue Taxi who make up this side project have taken a chance even releasing this CD. Acts like this inevitably invite comparisons to the No. 1 band, and to whether the members can cut it outside the genre on which they usually focus.

Blue Taxi, which has released four outstanding CDs, borrows from numerous genres and makes it all sound terrific; it's as polished an unsigned local band as you'll ever hear, and that same professionalism carries over to Billy & the Bullets. Highlights include Teresa Capuano's mournful vocals on a cover of Rick Nelson's "Lonesome Town," bassist Kurt England's rocking compositions "Dee & Jim" and "Belly Ring," and, of course, Bill Capuano's first-rate guitar work. Though it probably won't make anyone forget Blue Taxi, this is an enjoyable record.