Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

When competing against some of the most influential Blues artists in an era when the genre seems to have flourished exponentially, with both genders quite rightly having major success, critically as well as pleasing the every burgeoning audience, to release a live album rather than a recording in which to offer something new might be considered slightly reckless. However in Oli Brown, the word reckless should never be used, it would be a wild impulse to label something so pure as irresponsible and in Oli Brown’s Songs From The Road, the laid back beauty of his work is more than enough to understand that to be captured live on recording is sometimes a good thing.

Songs From The Road combines the beauty of well-captured live performance of some rather excellent tracks and the now customary D.V.D. that accompanies such a release. The music though, the sound that is unhindered by the image and only enhanced by the listener’s imagination, is superb, a real testament to the ability of Mr. Brown and his two cohorts Scott Barnes and Wayne Proctor as he gives a colourful and intrinsic display at The Waterfront in Norwich.

From a career that has spanned three albums, it is perhaps always a difficult job in which to choose which songs to play at a gig and certainly an ever harder demand on the artist on which tracks to capture live, one false track out of order and the whole project can go sideways. Oli Brown though not only gets it right but through every single track the musicians perform as if they are so lost in delivering great music that they don’t appear to notice that they are being recorded for posterity. From the opener Speechless, the music runs along as if carefree and overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

With sensational tracks such as Next Girl, Love Is Taking Its Toll, You Can Only Blame Yourself and Stone Cold being captured live, Songs From The Road is a joy to hear, a tribute to the pulling power in various venues round the country that British Blues enjoys.

An album in which to re-affirm the belief that listening to a live gig via a recording is sometimes an exceptional way in which to enjoy music.

Ian D. Hall