Search - Swing Out Sister :: Live

VERY nice set -- updated jazz vibe for familiar songs

Peace Brotha | Ohio, United States | 02/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Swing Out Sister never disappoints me with their musical artistry. I recently had the opportunity to see them live here in Ohio last summer and they were absolutely phenomenal.



This CD basically captures what that set was like. The songs are given the familiar SOS reinvention, paying respect to the originals while creating something totally fresh and inventive. This time, the music is washed in jazzy arrangements that are similar to the Jazz Cafe project, but with more R&B influences.



Corrinne's lovely vocals match her personality and physical beauty, as always. The band and background singers are second to none; another SOS hallmark.



That said, one of the prior reviewers is right about the annoying skips in this recording. Those skips come from improper editing between tracks. For live recordings, there should be NO breaks between tracks (unless there's a fadeout). Someone at Shanachie apparently forgot this, and the result is a disturbing half-second cut-out between songs.



Other than that annoyance, the sound quality of the music itself is decent to very good throughout.



Another disappointment noted by the reviewer is the overall appearance of the CD. It does look like a bootleg. Swing Out Sister is an eclectic group, so one could almost make a case that they wanted the CD to look like that. However, I'm guessing that even the group didn't want the effect to be this drastic, if that's the case.



I would recommend this CD in a heartbeat to any prior SOS fan as well as anyone that appreciates "nutritious ear candy." Please don't blame the group for their label's missteps. Instead, enjoy another masterpiece from this group that has been lovingly creating wonderful and fresh music for nearly 20 years."

Supremely Sublime

VOS | BOSTON, MA | 09/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having listened & enjoyed the metamorphosis of music & style that has become Swing Out Sister over the past 17 years or so, I can safely say that this live release is by far one of their best. It's clear that like all good things in life, time has taken SOS and made them better, in sound and style. I had the great fortune of seeing them live on this tour with a friend who didn't know SOS' music and he completely loved the show as did I. With all of the mundane and vapid music that is currently out in the market today, it's refreshing and relieving to see that SOS is still around to give us that adult contemporary glamourous music that can be an uber-hip soundtrack to anyone's life. The first track on this release, "Surrender/World Out Of Control" is a great intro for Corrine's incredible voice. It sets the stage for the vibe that is clearly Swing Out Sister. One of the tracks that is quite fabulous is when SOS goes into their huge Japanese smash "Now You're Not Here" and then proceeds into a dip of "No Scrubs" from TLC. When I heard it live in Baltimore, I thought... "These guys just couldn't be any cooler." To think that a group heavily influenced by Burt Bacharach is jamming to TLC. Although SOS has a devout fan base and is on the border of being cultish, Their music is a sound that is far from being obscure. It embraces the touch of classical jazz, while infusing traditional R&B, and soul. One of my favorite tracks on this album is "Filth & Dreams" I think it's just the intro and Andy's vibraphone that just gets me. Over all, Corinne & Andy have done their art justice by not selling out and sticking to their artistic guns by making music that has substance and style, which makes them stand out and shine in the music world."

Music is great, but the record publisher is not doing their

J. Hsieh | SF, CA USA | 01/13/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have no problem with this album. I am a big fan. The live does bring out a different atmosphere which reminds me of the one I attended in San Francisco of 1997. What I dont really appreciate is the publisher's lousy job on the booklet and CD label. As far as people are paying real money for real thing, this is quite a rip off. Cant even afford an art designer or what?"