Customer Reviews

On Air

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I definitely enjoy his full band recorded output, but there's something special about Whitley playing solo in front of an audience. Is it as fiery as Live at Martyr's? No. But that's not a negative--this setlist doesn't really share anything with the Martyr's disc, so you get to hear some songs recontextualized that don't appear on that recording (or on War Crime Blues or Weed, for that matter). My take on this set is that Chris somehow sounds more willing to take risks with the execution of the material compared to some other solo outings (as in Scrapyard Lullaby, for example), and anytime he goes back and forth between gritty and ethereal it's a fully intentional, controlled statement. He's spot on here, he knows where he's going, nothing's a mistake.

If you've ever wondered why he favored dobros, you can hear it here--he's fighting with the guitar the whole time, but fighting with it because it facilitates a sound and tone that are impossible to get any other way than from an instrument that's being disagreeable with the musician playing it. His touch on this guitar is an art form, a hesitating, serrated beauty of oblique blues.

If you like Chris Whitley at all and are unsure about the worth of this live album, I assure you this release isn't at all a cash-in on the fact that some tapes of this performance existed; it's a piece unto itself that fills in another part of the gap between what he did on the rest of his recorded output and what he was capable of. Worth the price.

Chris Whitley was stolen from us by cancer far too early. He was an incredible guitarist, vocalist and songwriter willing to walk away from riches and a carefully crafted record company image to maintain the integrity of his music. Whitley was fearless when it came to following his musical instinct and that's reflected in his 10+ studio albums.

This album contains what in my opinion was Whitley at his best, just his voice, his National Accoustic and a miked foot stomp pedal. The 18 tracks are some of his best original work, stripped to the bone, with several cover songs intermingled. It's hard to single out any of the songs, they are all superb.

There is a bittersweet quality to this album, it is so good it reminds long time fans like myself of what we have been missing since Whitley's untimely death. It doesn't matter whether you are a long time fan or not, you will love this album and I suspect begin looking for other Chris Whitley records.

"On Air" is a live recording put out on T&M Records, featuring a '03 show by Whitley in Germany. It's not bad. It's definitely good. But not great. And it lacks some of his fire-power that was usually on display at his live gigs. It's a bit more restrained but still quite beautiful. It's got eighteen tracks. Mostly C.W. originals. And a few covers tossed in that Whitley always seems able to make his own. C.W. fans will gotta have it. And, on a side note, T&M Records did a great job with the beautiful & minimalist graphics, artwork & coloring of the package. Not to mention the heartfelt liner notes. Cheers to them!

Chris Whitley On Air is a fantastic CD. He's in fine voice and his touch is so elegant and forceful. I return time and time again for a shot of primal beauty. Sure do miss you Chris.