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Album Details

• Artist: Soulive
• Album: Soulive
• Label: Bluenote
• Year of Release: 2003
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2003-06-16

With jazz, the best way to hear it is live and that's what Soulive has done on their latest release. They recorded some of their dates in 2002 and have compiled the best tracks onto this disc. Gathered from The House of Blues in New Orleans and Chicago, as well as Irving Plaza, NYC, The Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, and Legends in Boone, NC. The boys were playing better than ever with the super funky Hammond B3 being stroked by Neal Evans and his brother Alan banging out some crazy beats on the drums. Eric Krasno's guitar playing actually rivals Scofield on this album. The songs that they chose for Soulive are all fairly upbeat and find the guys stretching out with a lot of improvisational work. Like on "First Street" they get going so smooth that you think they will never pull back and hit the groove again. They pull off a great version of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny", one of the mellower songs on the set. You can hear the crowd cheer at times but it just adds to the esthetic of the album. If you have experienced Soulive live then you will be waiting in line to pick up this album. If you have only heard their albums, check this live album out to find out just what the trio is capable of. They are smooth and one of the best Hammond trios going right now. Watch for them in a city near you.

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