I have been listening to this CD since it arrived a couple of weeks ago with that nagging feeling, "I've heard this before!" I knew it wasn't simply that this is a live recording of some familiar tunes. Never having seen Ms Griffith in concert I was also sure it wasn't because it was just like the show on her last tour. No, this was far more problematic than that. Then one night last week, as my wife was watching the Designer Guys on TV, I laid on the floor and sorted through some CDs. It's something I do on a regular basis to remind myself of how lucky I am to have a gig like this where people send me music and I get to write about it. There in the back, in one of the piles was a CDR burned for me by a trading buddy hundreds of miles away. Nancy [sic] Griffith Live was handwritten on the insert; "recorded by [name withheld to protect the innocent] on minidisc." It was basically the same show, and I really liked it last year when he sent it to me. Now here it was again, on an official release, recorded professionally, not on someone's lap with a handheld microphone. No audience noise. No shuffles and snuffles. No expert musicologist proclaiming the original guitar player's solo is better than this one, or that the lyric was changed on that one. Just a wonderfully recorded remembrance of a beautifully played concert; a sonic memory.

I've always been impressed by Nanci Griffith's choice of cover material, and especially by the solid band which accompanies her. Her voice seems to me to be an acquired taste, but like black olives, once you've acquired that taste you can hardly remember life without it. The album kicks off with John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" which begins with a moody lick from a pedal steel, then some precise fingerpicked acoustic, and then Nanci's reading of Prine's fine lyric of jealousy and loss. Nice, subtle piano solo too. I wish I could commend the individual musicians, but this promo copy has no information at all, and looking for it on the various websites that service Griffith and Rounder has proved fruitless. Nevertheless Nanci's band is the perfect support for her country/folk fusion. Sometimes she seems like a throwback to the 60s folk diva, other times she reminds the listener of a big haired country singer; but always with the best qualities found in either genre.

"I Wish It Would Rain", "Gulf Coast Highway", "Two For the Road", and on it goes. There's hardly a bad turn. Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather" with its archaic language conjures exotic images of the past, lovely dobro solo too. There is a theme of travel, separation, and yearning in these songs. Going down the road, the rail, traveling, driving, "Last Train Home", "I'm Not Driving These Wheels" "White Freight Liner", "Gulf Coast Highway" and others paint pictures of the musician's life...and maybe our life too.

There are couple of guest appearances here on Griffith's first live CD in 15 years. Emmylou Harris joins Nanci for "Goodbye New York" and Tom Russell sings along on the closer "White Freight Liner". There are other vocalists who help out, my assumption is that they're band members, but the harmonies are wonderful throughout. The show has also been issued as a DVD with a few extra tracks.

As a sample of Griffith's work, this is an enjoyable and well-done collection. As a live album it is involving; it's well played throughout and has enough hot solos to keep the guitar players in the audience happy. As an introduction to Ms. Griffith...I don't think you could expect any more.

 Nanci has a Web site!

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