Customer Reviews

Live from the Outskirts

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When Cyril Lance moved to North Carolina, the Old North State had a VERY good day.

Lance is truly indefinable by genre, but is acknowledged as a true guitar virtuoso. He can play Blues as authentically as the masters and stacks up excellently against any of today's Jam Bands.

Live from the Outskirts is as fine an example of capturing the essence of the artist's live performances as has come along in quite some while. The album sounds studio quality while capturing the energy of an Outskirts performance perfectly.

Cyril has surrounded himself with some of the finest musicians in his adopted State. B-3 ace Dave McCracken can hang with anyone who has ever played the organ. Kelly Pace is the drummer who everyone wishes could be in his or her band and Bassist/singer Chris Carroll has the chops and voice that excite music lover.

This is a perfect follow-up to Cyril's breakout release, Stranger in My House, a definate must-own release. Anyone who appreciates awesome guitar playing and exceptionally well crafted songs will love these two items.

And on a personal note, Cyril is a wonderful person and an absolutely driven musician as well.

This is simply one incredible disc. I tend to seek out Live recordings mainly, due to the raw, inspired, creative energy only found on those, and I must say that CYRIL LANCE: LIVE FROM THE OUTSKIRTS may very well rank up there with the best of them, those "definitive" Live recordings that we all dearly love. This is truly epic, world-class material that deserves a lot more attention than it currently has received.

The band is caught on tape in top-notch shape, they are tight and talented, with incredible energy and excitement injected into every single performance. Neel's solid vocals and neo-Juliard-league piano add such a refined and sophisticated touch to the whole experience, and Cyril's guitar work is absolutely riveting. The instrumental sections just go on and on, the whole band pulsating as one balanced, cohesive organism, steadily increasing in energy and complexity, until you just think they HAVE to start winding down, but that's when they shift into high-gear and take off into the Stratosphere. Pure adrenalin rush! The material is a mixture of blues, blues/rock, funk, and soul (while eschewing all cliches), and should appeal to a very wide audience indeed.

The digital recording and final mixdown is of impeccable quality. Rip as lossless AIFF to your iPod and enjoy the sonic purity.

I cannot recommend this CD highly enough.