Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Signed, sealed, bypassing all others, the only way to get the heart of the matter is by seeing the message delivered straight to the intended recipient, without delay, without postponement, and with every conscious beat of the heart focused on it being publicly aware and abiding to the belief of capturing the sentiment in its purest, most untainted way possible.
Playing live for an audience may be an honour that has been taken away from many a performer of late, but the image to which has been played out countless times is enough to have left its own impression on the mind of the crowd, and of the artist themselves. That though doesn’t mean it should be allowed to slowly erase like a yellowing photograph left out in the sun, being bleached by its heat, scorched of its memory; for at all times we all must embrace the feeling of the message being delivered to one, to all and as often as possible.
We might be missing the live arena the more 2020 insidiously drags on, but we can still find ways to use our imagination to its fullest extent, we can hear the music being delivered Straight To You as if being propelled by the insistence of time, and whilst we cannot see it with our own eyes at the exact moment it was recorded, we can still immerse ourselves at the sight of groups such as the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band as they perform, captured for eternity on DVD, or through the positivity and honesty of the aural playback as each note reminds us that such a time will come again where all is sweat, beauty and the love of the live arena.
Energy is not to be misused, abused, or forgotten, and as the band stride wonderfully, swinging from the hip provocatively through tracks such as the opener Woman Like You, the crescendo pounding Long Time Running, Diamonds & Gold, Heat Of The Sun, the magnetisms of Shame, Shame, Shame, the excellent Mr. Soul and the outrageous finale that sees the band tackle with honour the Jimi Hendrix Experience classic track Voodoo Child (Slight Return); it is in this pulsating energy that the pleasure of live is renewed; and even if we can’t be there in person, we can still be spellbound by the life on offer.
Straight To You: Live, an arrow of music that hits the target.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band release Straight To You: Live on November 27th via Provogue.
Ian D. Hall