**1/2 The James Taylor Quartet

CREATION

(Acid Jazz/Hollywood)

Acid jazz is something of a misnomer when it comes to the James Taylor Quartet: this 13-song set isn't very trippy and has only a passing acquaintance with any improvisationally based tunes. But the British group's material is pretty easy to take overall; they have an ear for the catchy riff and satisfying arrangement, putting the organ -- played by the band's namesake and leader -- way up on top and deftly using the wah-wah pedal to lacquer even the most wart-pocked surface. The tunes themselves -- including interpretations of the themes from Starsky and Hutch and Dirty Harry and originals of that sort -- evoke crime shows, skin flicks, blaxploitation films. Which is a tidy fit in the camp/kitsch niche staked out by Austin Powers, a film for which the JTQ happen to have composed the theme music.

-- Jonathan Dixon

(The James Taylor Quartet headline downstairs at the Middle East this Tuesday, November 4. Call 864-EAST.)