JAMES MCMURTRY
''LIVE IN EUROPE''
OCTOBER 13 2009
41:53
1/Bayou Tortue
James McMurtry/4:25
2/Just Us Kids
James McMurtry/5:21
3/Hurricane Party
James McMurtry/6:16
4/You'd A' Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)
James McMurtry/5:56
5/Fräulein O.
James McMurtry/4:16
6/Ruby and Carlos
James McMurtry/6:32
7/Freeway View
James McMurtry/3:52
8/Restless
James McMurtry/5:15
James McMurtry/Guitar, Lead Vocal
Tim Holt/Guitar
Ronnie Johnson/Bass, Harmony Vocal
Ian McLagan/Keyboards
Daren Hess/Drums
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
Pop/rocker Peter Frampton and roots folk-rock mainstay James McMurtry don't have much in common, but they were both artistically defined -- and found larger audiences -- through live albums. McMurtry's Live in Aught-Three was released to substantial acclaim in 2004 on Compadre. Five years later, with only two additional studio discs to his name and a new company behind him in scrappy Lightning Rod, the powers that be felt it was already time for another -- hence this frustratingly short, eight-song, 42-minute set recorded on some European dates in 2008 accompanied by an equally brief 40-minute DVD. As somewhat of a consolation for the concise playing times, the DVD repeats just two tunes from the audio disc, and even though only three selections were on the 2004 release, this really should have been longer. McMurtry is in fine, gravelly talk-sung voice and delivers convincing, if not exactly electrifying, concert versions of his newest material on the audio platter. His band is great, especially ex-Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, whose organ fills and rollicking boogie-woogie lines are classy and perfectly placed. McMurtry isn't the most magnetic frontman, although his emotionless scowl effectively mirrors the disillusionment described by the generally lower-class characters struggling to get by in the majority of his work. Fellow Austin resident Jon Dee Graham makes a brief but energetic appearance on guitar and vocals for the DVD-only track "Laredo." The crisp recording and quality camera work give the viewer a sense of the surroundings at Amsterdam's Paradiso club, where it was recorded. The playing is tight and the group well rehearsed and sufficiently swampy, but generally these performances are not different enough from the studio versions for anyone other than die-hard fans to notice. Unless you need to see McMurtry and his musicians do their thing on-stage, Live in Europe is a sturdy, potent, yet superfluous item in the singer/songwriter's impressive catalog of hard-edged, lyrically incisive roots rock.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
Too Long in the Wasteland
Texas singer/songwriter James McMurtry, known for his hard-edged character sketches, comes from a literary family; his father, novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry, gave James his first guitar at age seven, and his mother, an English professor, taught him how to play it. McMurtry began performing his own songs while a student at the University of Arizona and continued to do so after returning home and taking a job as a bartender. When it transpired that a film script McMurtry's father had written was being directed by John Mellencamp, who was also its star, McMurtry's demo tape was passed along, and Mellencamp was duly impressed, serving as co-producer on McMurtry's 1989 debut album, Too Long in the Wasteland. McMurtry also appeared on the soundtrack of the film (Falling from Grace), working with Mellencamp, John Prine, Joe Ely, and Dwight Yoakam in a one-off supergroup called Buzzin' Cousins. McMurtry has continued to record, releasing albums in 1992 and 1995. Walk Between the Raindrops followed in 1998, and 2002 saw the release of Saint Mary of the Woods, his last for the Sugar Hill label. He signed with Compadre the following year, releasing Live in Aught-Three in 2004 and Childish Things in 2005. Just Us Kids appeared in 2008 on Lightning Rod Records, with another concert album, Live in Europe, arriving in 2009.
''LIVE IN EUROPE''
OCTOBER 13 2009
41:53
1/Bayou Tortue
James McMurtry/4:25
2/Just Us Kids
James McMurtry/5:21
3/Hurricane Party
James McMurtry/6:16
4/You'd A' Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)
James McMurtry/5:56
5/Fräulein O.
James McMurtry/4:16
6/Ruby and Carlos
James McMurtry/6:32
7/Freeway View
James McMurtry/3:52
8/Restless
James McMurtry/5:15
James McMurtry/Guitar, Lead Vocal
Tim Holt/Guitar
Ronnie Johnson/Bass, Harmony Vocal
Ian McLagan/Keyboards
Daren Hess/Drums
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
Pop/rocker Peter Frampton and roots folk-rock mainstay James McMurtry don't have much in common, but they were both artistically defined -- and found larger audiences -- through live albums. McMurtry's Live in Aught-Three was released to substantial acclaim in 2004 on Compadre. Five years later, with only two additional studio discs to his name and a new company behind him in scrappy Lightning Rod, the powers that be felt it was already time for another -- hence this frustratingly short, eight-song, 42-minute set recorded on some European dates in 2008 accompanied by an equally brief 40-minute DVD. As somewhat of a consolation for the concise playing times, the DVD repeats just two tunes from the audio disc, and even though only three selections were on the 2004 release, this really should have been longer. McMurtry is in fine, gravelly talk-sung voice and delivers convincing, if not exactly electrifying, concert versions of his newest material on the audio platter. His band is great, especially ex-Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, whose organ fills and rollicking boogie-woogie lines are classy and perfectly placed. McMurtry isn't the most magnetic frontman, although his emotionless scowl effectively mirrors the disillusionment described by the generally lower-class characters struggling to get by in the majority of his work. Fellow Austin resident Jon Dee Graham makes a brief but energetic appearance on guitar and vocals for the DVD-only track "Laredo." The crisp recording and quality camera work give the viewer a sense of the surroundings at Amsterdam's Paradiso club, where it was recorded. The playing is tight and the group well rehearsed and sufficiently swampy, but generally these performances are not different enough from the studio versions for anyone other than die-hard fans to notice. Unless you need to see McMurtry and his musicians do their thing on-stage, Live in Europe is a sturdy, potent, yet superfluous item in the singer/songwriter's impressive catalog of hard-edged, lyrically incisive roots rock.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
Too Long in the Wasteland
Texas singer/songwriter James McMurtry, known for his hard-edged character sketches, comes from a literary family; his father, novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry, gave James his first guitar at age seven, and his mother, an English professor, taught him how to play it. McMurtry began performing his own songs while a student at the University of Arizona and continued to do so after returning home and taking a job as a bartender. When it transpired that a film script McMurtry's father had written was being directed by John Mellencamp, who was also its star, McMurtry's demo tape was passed along, and Mellencamp was duly impressed, serving as co-producer on McMurtry's 1989 debut album, Too Long in the Wasteland. McMurtry also appeared on the soundtrack of the film (Falling from Grace), working with Mellencamp, John Prine, Joe Ely, and Dwight Yoakam in a one-off supergroup called Buzzin' Cousins. McMurtry has continued to record, releasing albums in 1992 and 1995. Walk Between the Raindrops followed in 1998, and 2002 saw the release of Saint Mary of the Woods, his last for the Sugar Hill label. He signed with Compadre the following year, releasing Live in Aught-Three in 2004 and Childish Things in 2005. Just Us Kids appeared in 2008 on Lightning Rod Records, with another concert album, Live in Europe, arriving in 2009.
