Customer Reviews

Live

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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There's a lot more to Phoebe Snow than her big 1970s hit, "Poetry Man," as evidenced by this live 2008 recording. Phoebe wrote five of the eleven songs here (yes, "Poetry Man" appears) displaying the quality and range of her voice, which is just as amazing as on her first recordings over 30 years ago. Snow can be introspective ("Poetry Man"), hopeful and demanding ("Something Real") or rock out (her "Piece of My Heart" easily stands up to Janis Joplin's unforgetable version). This is her first recording on a "major" label (Verve) in many years; let's hope this means we'll be hearing a lot more from her these days.

I bought Phoebe's new cd last week and have not stopped playing it. In this age of overproduced junk(Jennifer Hudson...wha'happen?), it is a real treat to hear a singer get together with a cracking good band and just sing! Phoebe has been away for far too long. However this live set was more than worth the wait. Phoebe reinvents some of her earlier songs with excellent results. She covers It's All In the Game with a doo-wopish feel. Piece of My Heart has some of those amazing Phoebe notes. There is not a bad song on this set. There are two standouts. You're My Girl is a song Phoebe wrote in memory of her daughter who passed away last year. There is such beauty and heartbreak in the music, lyrics and Phoebe's delivery.This is not a maudlin song at all, but a real loving tribute. I am in tears every time I hear it. The final cut is Rodgers and Harts' With A Song In My Heart, also done as a tribute to her daughter. This is a song I have always found to be "corny". Not any longer. This song is so tenderly done, it gives this vintage American classic a new, beautiful interpretation. This cd is NOT a "downer". It is a real rocker most of the time, and on the occasions when it is not rocking it is poignant and beautiful.

Phoebe Snow has one of the most glorious voices in modern pop. When she soars as on the lovely standard "It's All in the Game," it's musical ambrosia. On this live set, Snow starts rocking with "Shakey Ground," a song also recorded by Delbert McClinton & from Snow's It Looks Like Snow CD. "Something Real" that was the title track of a studio set has a beautiful jazz-inflected arrangement. Her classic "Poetry Man," the title track from her CD Natural Wonder and a great track from that set, "The Other Girlfriend," all shine in live performance. Her intro to the Janis Joplin/Big Brother & the Holding Company classic "Piece of My Heart" reflects her lovely sense of humor and then rocks mercilessly. (Don't call her "Ph!") "Rockin' Pneumonia & the Boogie Woogie Flu" has an offbeat intro in which she throws the audience off by saying this is a translation of a 16th century song about a tiny elf before she rocks the house. The set concludes with the Rodgers & Hart lovely classic "With a Song in My Heart" in which she bares & shares her breaking heart over the loss of her daughter in an amazingly emotional moment. "Live" is a lovely set with a great band recorded at the Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, New York in July of this year. For her fans old & new, this is a class act, a real treat. Bravo!

there is nothing that compares to seeing/hearing pheobe snow in concert, but this cd comes close. she is backed by an incredibly talented band and her best, flawless self soars through every note. her commentary to the audience is hilarious (i heard similar riffs years ago at her concerts). this is a gem for any fan of hers and a great gift for the pheobe snow novice as well. good job, pheobe! (now won't you come to seattle?)

There is simply nobody like Phoebe Snow. I first heard `Poetry Man' on the radio when I was 16 and it made me stop short and listen. By the time `Never Letting Go' came out a few years later I was an admitted PS junkie. Hell, despite the knocks the critics gave it, I even liked (and still do) `Rock Away'. So I'm not sure how truly objective I can be about this CD. Standouts for me are "You're My Girl" (a re-working of `I'm Your Girl' from 1989's `Something Real' CD) and `Piece Of My Heart' but there isn't a throw-away in the bunch. The audience seems (logically) to adore her, and Ms. Snow displays graciousness and a very dry sense of humor. Buy the CD; I'm glad I did. Oh, and just don't call her `Ph'.

She's always been a truly unique talent, especially her 4-octave range. The fact she can sing flawlessly in a live venue, stretching over those 4 octaves is simply astounding.

I'm writing this after learning of her tragic personal situation.

Buy this - it is a wonderful piece of art and a testament to her life of giving to others.

I just purchased Phoebe's Live CD and it is incredible! I have seen Phoebe in concert and the CD meets or exceeds that experience. When I saw her, it Ms. Snow and a piano player. On her live CD, we have a band and they are awesome...tight and in-sync. This is one of her best CD's.

I'm not a fan of "live" recordings; but in this case I made an exception and I'm so glad I did. I own everything Pheobe Snow has ever recorded; and I enjoy this live CD as much, if not more than, any studio session she has done. I also recommend here DVD concert. You won't regret the investment.

I absolutely LOVE this CD!!! It has all of Phoebe Snow's best. I recommend it to all her fans.

As newcomer to Pheobe Snow I am just thrilled. I wish I had discovered her years ago.