This Hungry Life [LIVE]

Tanya Donelly

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2006)
• Original Release Date: October 17, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Eleven Thirty
• ASIN: B000I5YCLA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,910 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
From hearty bellowing to subtle and smoky crooning, this pint-sized founding member of Throwing Muses, the Breeders, and Belly sure can sing. The major complaint regarding this album is that it's so short. Hungry Life was recorded live in front of an intimate audience in the lobby of an abandoned Vermont hotel, during the hottest summer in ages. The singer-songwriter, who's at times seemed uncomfortable and tentative in live performance, is far from either here. Donelly's ease in her Ida-esque, plaintive country-rock has never seemed more apparent. The arrangements sound full and fleshed-out throughout; it's frequently easy to forget the songs were recorded live until the audience members chime in at the end. The string-heavy, soulful take on the Beatles' "Long Long Long" is exceptional, while "Kundalini Slide" is a barn-burner worthy of Neil Young. Yay. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last!, January 20, 2007

By	depthfunction "depthfunction" (St. Louis, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews

As a long-time Tanya Donelly fan, I'm embarrassed to say that I only recently purchased this album. I was aware, back in 2004, that Donelly was recording a live album, but months--and then years--passed, and the album was never released, and so Donelly fell off my radar screen.

Now that I have the album, though, it is much more than I would have expected. Technically, it's a "live" album, but it doesn't sound like a live album. The recording quality is excellent, and were it not for the muffled applause at the end of each track, I might think that the album was recorded in the studio.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the album consists of new material (with the exception of "Days of Grace" which is a b-side from her "Beautysleep" album. Highlights for me are "To the Lighthouse," "Littlewing," "World On Fire," and her cover of the Beatles' "Long Long Long."

Finally, I'm glad to hear Donelly is again supported by a full band. I consider her previous album, the all-acoustic "Whiskey Tango Ghosts" to be a mostly failed experiment. Donelly's music is always at its best when she's playing an electric guitar and has other plugged-in musicians backing her up.

"This Hungry Life" is a very good album, I just wish I had known about it earlier!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly my favorite album of '06, April 6, 2008

By	Greg Lyons (Somerville, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'll admit that it took me a while to appreciate this album. If you come to this album expecting it to sound like a third Belly album, you will be disappointed. However, once you spend some time with it, the country-tinged melodies and Tanya's beautiful vocals really take hold. All of the songs have a wonderfully intimate feel to them, and it's easy to forget that this is a "live" album. I highly recommend buying this as an entire album and not just cherry-picking songs as it comes alive when listened to from start to finish (a rare treat these days, it seems). That being said, personal favorites include "Kundalini Slide" and "River Girls," with Tanya's amazing version of the Beatles "Long, Long, Long" being the high point of the album.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing that it is Live, March 25, 2009

By	Kenneth S. Dieudonne (Melbourne, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The more I listen to it, the more I love it. There is some powerful material in here.