Customer Reviews

Soundstage: Lyle Lovett

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

 

 

Not one, but TWO of my favorite artists (Lyle Lovett & Randy Newman), together in one concert! Add to that Lyle's "Large Band", his long time singing partner Francine Reed, trumpet player Mark Isham, and a complete orchestra, and you've got a stage filled with amazing talent!

The program starts off with Lyle singing hits from various movies. About mid-concert Randy Newman performs 3 of his compositions. Lyle then comes back to finish up with several non-movie related songs from his past releases. All-in-all, a wonderful mix of songs, all packed nicely into an 81 minute concert.
Video was captured using High Definition equipment and looks sharp.
Audio (the 5.1 track) sounds rich and clean.
If you're a Lovett or Newman fan you're going to enjoy this one.

Here's a complete track list for those of you that are interested:
Blue Skies (Lovett)
Straighten Up And Fly Right (Lovett)
Smile (Lovett)
Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (Lovett)
Summer Wind (Lovett)
Moritat (Mack The Knife) (Lovett w/Isham)
Walking Tall (Lovett)
You've Got A Friend In Me (Lovett & Newman)
Political Science (Newman)
I Think It's Going To Rain Today (Newman)
If I Had A Boat (Lovett)
That's Right (You're Not From Texas) (Lovett)
Long Tall Texan (Lovett & Newman)
What Do You Do? (Lovett & Reed)
Church (Lovett)
What'd I Say (Lovett)
I'm A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord (Lovett)
I'm Going To Wait (Lovett w/Isham)

Well, it's hard to go wrong with Lyle. This dvd gets a 4 because of the content. He is in rare form with the "large band" being as great as ever including some phenomenal vibes with Francine Reed.It was good to see them all together again and the thing about Lyle in this dvd is he really seems to be LOVING being there. Randy Newman and Mark Isham were awesome. There are great shots of him and the band and I will confess that I didn't know he had blue eyes until now!
Anyway, the biggest disappointment for me was the sound. Almost returned the disc and thought better of it. I think it is just the way it is. It goes from a full concert/stereo big sound to a canned, far away sound. That is the only way I can describe it. I am curious to know if others had the same problem. It also seemed like the lighting could have been better and the vision sharper. I am comparing this to some James Taylor DVD's and a Sarah Macglaughlan (sp?) that I have. Great content, but technically lacking.

This Soundstage concert was great when it was performed. It was like listening to many of Lyle's greatest hits with just an outstanding band and group of singers. Another great performance.

I guess I'm becoming impatient for the new Lyle Lovett Live DVD. I bought this one to hold me over until then. I hadn't researched this one much so I didn't know what to expect when I purchased it. On first listen, I am impressed. I didn't know most of the songs since I only have Joshua Judges Ruth and His Large Band on CD. The song material is different than those two cd's so this is a bit of a change. In my opinion, it's not as bluesy or folky, but maybe more jazzy... i don't know, how do you categorize this guy? The sound quality is good, the video quality is good. If you like Lyle Lovetts music, you really can't miss.

First off, I don't know where reviewers get off saying Lyle's ugly. He might be a bit homely, but he gives us average guys hope. Besides, the man's voice is amazing and he has a stellar band to go along with him. The one thing that this dvd was missing was some of the weird stuff he typically says at a concert. Lyle's got quite an acerbic sense of humor and listening to him talk is an experience unto itself.

The music's great here. I had no issues with quality of sound through my television. It's a fun concert with more jazzy music, but it still captures the essence of Lyle.

The music is enjoyable, but Lyle has no stage presence whatsoever and honestly, his facial expressions and looks are very distracting from the music. Not to sound mean, but he has the perfect face for radio.