For this, her first live album, NEKO CASE has gathered around herself a group of musicians to die for! First off there’s The Sadies, wonderfully augmented by the likes of Jon Rauhouse (pedal steel, banjo) and Jennie Benford (mandolin, vcls) plus additional vocalists Kelly Hogan, Carolyn Mark and Matt Downing. The end result, recorded at various gigs in Toronto and Chicago, is an uplifting dash through 35 minutes of Case magic taking in an awesome array of styles.
Case has a fantastic voice – rich and soaring, at times smooth and soulful while at others, raw and edgy. Throughout she takes complete control of proceedings, leading the band with perfect emotional input.
The set kicks off with ‘If You Knew’ on which The Sadies stamp their trademark sound – an ideal accompaniment to Case’s vocals. There are great cover versions of ‘Soulful Shade of Blue’ (Buffy Saint Marie) and Rated X (Loretta Lynn), both perfectly highlighting different aspects of Case’s talents. 'Train From Kansas City' is a joyous romp of sixties pop with a twist of countrified soul on which the drums and backing vocals particularly shine.
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Of the originals, ‘The Tigers Have Spoken’ and the atmospheric and haunting ‘Blacklisted’ stand out. ‘Loretta’ has a punk rock heart with frantically scrabbling guitars and “oohs” that surf over its' surface. ‘This Little Light’ is a mountain music party all of its own. Throughout, the audience are clearly having a ball. I think you will too.
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