Music » Live Album Country Music

This two-CD, 25-song set, recorded in Louisville on two nights in the spring of 2002, finds bluegrass's most celebrated crossover band at the top of its game. Krauss's warm, feathery vocals, capable of conveying complex emotions in a single note, appear more full-bodied than in studio recordings, yet lose none of their sensual appeal or dramatic tension. She's perfect, for example, as the melancholy temptress on "Let Me Touch You for Awhile," coming across as both savior and seductress, while Jerry Douglas's Dobro echoes the searing strains of passion and pain. With banjoist-guitarist Ron Block, bassist Barry Bales, and guest drummer Larry Atamanuik anchoring the rhythm, the ensemble deftly blends bluegrass with jazz, rock, and folk, combining lightning speed (though rushing through "Forget About It") with sophisticated chops, tangible emotion, and thrilling vocal blends. The crowd, more spellbound with every note, doesn't even breathe on "Ghost in This House" and nearly tears the place down on Dan Tyminski's voice-of-George Clooney showcase, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow." But who could blame them? It's only one highlight on an album of uncommon artistry, a moving testament to how good live music can be in the hands of world-class players. --Alanna Nash

Release Date: 1999-10-19, Audio CD, Sony

Todd Snider has built a reputation as a great live performer who tours relentlessly. Near Truths and Hotel Rooms, his third release for Oh Boy Records (his sixth overall) is an all live collection of songs and stories that represents a typical evening with Snider, his guitar, and his imagination. Co-produced by Snider, this 23-song disc combines his witty songwriting with his engaging storytelling. Recorded in several different locations over eighteen months. It includes an alternate version of 'Beer Run' recorded on the air during one of Todd's many appearances on the syndicated morning radio program Bob & Tom. 2003.

Release Date: 1990-04-11, Audio CD, Mca Nashville

Johnny Cash has long been both country legend and American icon. But once upon a time, in the late '60s, Cash was something more mercurial--pop culture superstar. This 26-song, previously unreleased concert recorded in December 1969 at a Madison Square Garden packed with 21,000 enthusiastic fans from across the cultural and political spectrum documents what's arguably the peak of Cash's career. One story-song slides naturally into the next in a set that not only documents the high points of his already rich and colorful career, but paints a compelling autobiography of the singer and his hardscrabble roots. Whether taking a bold antiwar stance as a "dove with claws" (imagine a post-Lee Greenwood country star being as brave) on "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," taking a tough, unflinching look at prison life in a four-song stretch book-ended by "The Long Black Veil" and "Folsom Prison Blues," or examining the plight of the Native American and his own religious beliefs, Cash gives a performance that underscores the honesty and integrity that made him a conquering American folk hero. The singer's generosity toward his backing musicians and songwriters is also noteworthy, acknowledging Shel Silverstein's presence as the writer of his massive hit "A Boy Named Sue," turning over the show to the Carter Family for a couple slices of Appalachian roots music, and letting the Statler Brothers showcase "Flowers on the Wall" and fellow Sun legend-turned-sideman Carl Perkins rip through an explosive, show-stopping "Blue Suede Shoes." Cash's presence here is more than mere performance; it's a frank reminder that American values remain considerably more complex than nostalgia, apple pie, and flag-waving. --Jerry McCulley

The great Willie Nelson tends to either thrill or sorely disappoint, depending on the kinds of projects he takes on--and his decision to be either a musician or a celebrity. This live recording, culled from his 2003 USA Network concert event, unfortunately falls into the latter category, and Nelson sounds as if he arrived just before show time and plunged in without rehearsing. On the album's opener, "I Didn't Come Here (And I Ain't Leavin')," almost everything is wrong--the chorines, the overwhelming bigness of the production, and most troublesome, Nelson's apparent indifference. Thereafter, the program pairs him with such natural duet partners as Toby Keith and Ray Price, and such utterly unfathomable ones as Steven Tyler and Wyclef Jean, who prove, by turns, unlistenable and insufferable. While Diana Krall and Elvis Costello help give "Crazy" an odd and new kind of charm, Nelson's off-beat phrasing is just to quirky to work with Paul Simon's laconic musings ("Homeward Bound"), while the outing with Ray Charles and Leon Russell ("A Song for You") sounds like a cat-drowning ceremony. Weirdly, the best songs are those on which Nelson simply gets out of the way (John Mellencamp's bottleneck romp through "I Couldn't Believe It Was True," Kenny Chesney's soulful treatment of "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning"). Thank God it's only a single disc. --Alanna Nash

Recorded in the U.K. in 1980 when Ely was opening for The Clash, Live Shots is a frenzied shot of live rock & roll, west Texas style, with the fierce electric and pedal-(steel)-to-the-metal guitars of band members Jesse Taylor and Lloyd Maines. Although not as accomplished a live set as his later Live at Liberty Lunch, Live Shots remains the best document of Ely's rock-out phase; a driving, relentless cover of "Not Fade Away" particularly stands out. The quieter ballads are what'll bring you back, though, especially moving versions of Jimmie Dale Gilmore's "Treat Me Like A Saturday Night" and Ely's own "Honky Tonk Masquerade." --David Cantwell

Release Date: 2002-10-15, Audio CD, Sci Fidelity Records

While live recordings can be treasured mementos for those who were present at the show, they're often substandard versions of favorite material. The live At the Ryman avoids this by covering the material of artists who've influenced Harris's music, rather than concentrating on her own hits. From Steve Earle and Bill Monroe to the Everly Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival, her choices are solid and sometimes unexpected (Bruce Springsteen). Harris's love of the music--and appreciation for the audience--shines through in these performances. The songs may have been done better elsewhere (most notably by the songwriters) and Emmy's delivery is at times uneven (as with any live performance), but the talented, fun-loving, all-acoustic Nash Ramblers do much to compensate. --Alexandra Russell

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