Live From Austin TX Music Cd

John Hiatt - Live From Austin TX

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Live from Austin, TX      Artist : John Hiatt      List Price : $15.98 USD        Your Price : $15.98 USD      ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 2005-11-01      Studio : New West Records      Label : New West Records      Avg. Customer Rating : (4 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for Live From Austin TX      Classic Hiatt      Rating:      John Hiatt at his playing peak with songs from his best writing period. Although he's had flashier bands ( the recent one with Sonny Landreth really stands out) the songs supporting those ensembles weren't as strong as what you'll find here. Even if you have his other live work, this is worth your time.     Customer Reviews for Live From Austin TX Cd      Why isn't he a superstar?      Rating:      OK, I have been a fan of John Hiatt now for about 20 years, ever since I read a review in "Rolling Stone" that said his album "Slow Turning" was likely to be the best album that no one would hear. I have seen him 6 times, from full band to solo acoustic efforts, and I will never give a bad review to any of his releases. He is truly one the all time greatest song writers in the rock n roll era. That being said, let me give you my (biased)review. From the opening notes of "Icy Blue Heart" to the last reverberation of "Perfectly Good Guitar" I had a smile on my face. He is in great voice, clearly having fun with the audience and totally engaged. The song selection runs very heavily towards the new release at the time "Perfectly Good Guitar" which was an extremely strong overall release. Also, hearing some of the songs from "Slow Turning" (especially the title track) is always a treat. Heck, all the songs were strong, there really was no weak one. The energy level is incredible; his rootsy influences combined with the rock and jam sensibilities of his back up band make for an absolutely breathtaking ride through this song collection. The only quibble I have with this album is the tone of lead guitarist Michael Ward. After hearing the albums and seeing him live with guitarists like Ry Cooder and Sonny Landreath, I expected more. The sound of michael's guitar was a little weak; the playing was excellent, it was just the tone that was a little off to me. As I said, though, that is a minor quibble. I loved this disc. Support this man, buy his catalogue, see him live whenever you can. Honest, intelligent writers and singers seem to be an endangered species today. I mean, how can you not support an artist whose songs have been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Iggy Pop, Rosanne Cash, Eric Clapton and B.B. King among others? Buy this one, then go out and buy "Slow Turning", "Bring the Family", Perfectly Good Guitar", 'Walk On", "The Tiki Bar is Open", "Crossing Muddy Waters", "Master of Disaster", and "Stolen Moments". Get em, put em in your player and listen to one of the true treasures in music today.