Customer Reviews

Unleashed Live

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an East Coast liberal music geek, I must object to your review of Jack Ingram's contribution to this CD. I am way outside of Texas and easily grasp the enthusiasm this guy generates. I bought Unleashed Live in a record store in Massachusetts this week specifically because Ingram appears on it. Just stopped by here to see what the response was like. To give you a sense of my musical tastes I was in the store to buy Radiohead's new one and Catpower's last one (before the recent Covers album.) I'm a music fan, not a frat brat. I first discovered Ingram in Hope Floats and I looked into buying that soundtrack. He's not even on it. Whoever made that decision continues to puzzle me with their motives. Next, I was lucky enough to see him open for Wille Nelson in NYC and the kid held the attention of the room--a room full of New Yorkers and Hell's Angels waiting to hear Mr. Wille Nelson. He held the room because he's got the chops. Sure he's young, but he's no frat brat. He's doing his best to be the next in a line of authentic Texan singer-songwriters that winds back through Jerry Jeff and Willie. Ingram's tracks on Unleashed Live are some of my favorites-- Mustang Burn and Barbie Doll especially. I don't find Barbie Doll the least bit obnoxious and I'm a humorless feminist. I think the ditty is smart and funny and good for dancing. That's all I really need.

How can you hate this album? True Texan style honky tonk. The performances are great for a live album. Bruce cranks out a great set that sets the stage for the rest of the album, starting with a splendid version of "The Good Life". Charlie kicks it in gear with a terrific version of "Sunset Blvd" and cleverly works in the name Lewinsky (you just gotta hear it!). "Loving County" still gives me chills, hearing it live gives you an idea that his potential has not even been tapped yet. Jack Ingram, who I am ashamed to say I knew nothing about before this album, won a new fan with his awesome music. From "Mustang Burn" to "Barbie Doll", this guy gives you everything he's got. The Texas attitude may be more than some folks can stomach. But if you want a taste of talented musicians that put heart and soul into the music, do yourself a favor and buy this album. I spent lots of time in Texas honky tonks, and these guys give you a real sample of quality music. You don't have to be from Texas to love this album. If you understand real country music, you will quickly find this to be one of your favorite albums in your collection.

A live sampler of four songs each from brothers Charlie and Bruce Robison and fellow Sony/Lucky Dog labelmate Jack Ingram, this release provides a good introduction to all three artists. With the exception of "Travis County" by Ingram these songs are all available in studio versions. Diehard fans will want to have the CD to capture the feel of seeing these performers live. Someone not familiar with the artists may be inclined to purchase this CD to sample all three performers for the price of a single CD. If you like one, it's extremely unlikely you won't like all three, buy CDs from each instead.

The highlight of this release is "Angry All the Time" performed by Bruce Robison with harmony vocals by Kelly Willis that put the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill cover version to shame. The remaining tracks are all solid performances and a good cross section of songs from each artist.

The next best thing to seeing Charlie, Bruce and Jack live at Gruene Hall is owning this CD. Three great artists for the price of one CD! I first heard Charlie Robison on the radio when I was visiting Austin and San Antonio this past spring. I ordered his CD's as soon as I got home and now I'm hooked on his music. What a great songwriter. When Kelly Willis was in Milwaukee she mentioned her husband's music (Bruce Robison). Well, I had to buy his records which lead me to Jack Ingram's records. What talent they all have.

I'd love to see them tour the country together (and hopefully make a stop in "My Hometown") This is a fantastic recording.

If you've been watching CMT's "Western Beat" series, you've only gotten a taste of what these great Texas singer-songwriters can do. This CD gives you a bigger sample of their work - just enough to (hopefully) make you want to buy their other CDs. Charlie Robison is my favorite one of these 3. His tunes sometimes have a sense of humor & other times an honesty &/or sincerity that you just can't get from today's poppy NashVegas fluff (McGraw, Hill, Twain, etc.). Like I said in my review of Charlie's "Life Of The Party" CD (..or was it "Bandera"?), his Dixie Chick wife (banjo picker Emily) got me into his music. But I know I would've enjoyed Charlie's music had I never bought a Dixie Chicks CD. I prefer Charlie to Bruce & Jack because Charlie rocks & his story-telling lyrics remind me of those of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant. Bruce's music & particularly his voice are softer, but still very good & worth a listen. As you may have guessed, my favorite part of Bruce's portion of the CD is his duet with Charlie - "Rayne Louisiana". I also like "Red Letter Day" & "The Good Life". "RLD" has a cool late 60's/early 70's Rolling Stones or Southern Rock feel to it whereas "TGL" is a good honky tonk song. Pretty much the same story with Jack; 3 outta 4 ain't bad! "Barbie Doll" is another cool song on this CD that has a Southern Rock-ish feel that I really enjoy. "Work This Out" is the most Country-sounding song Jack does here that I like. The other one, "Mustang Burn", is pretty much another rocker. But it's a good one! :-) Basically, if you've been watching CMT's "Western Beat" & have been hearing about a new genre of music that nobody's been able to label except maybe with the phrase "rockin' country", this CD is a great example of what "rockin' country" is all about!

Being a HUGE fan of the music of Jack Ingram, this "all-live" recording from these three Texas songwriters was an exciting welcome for me. I had heard of both of the Robison brothers before, but had never experienced their tremendous songwriting until this cd. Before I could make it all the way thru this recording, I was already wanting to run out and buy up everything that both Bruce & Charlie Robison have recorded...it's just THAT good! If you like Jack, you'll LOVE this cd..."Work This Out" is one of his all-time best. Both Robison brothers turn in exceptional performances too. Both "My Hometown" & "Barlight" are first class country songs, and Mike McAdam's guitar playing is perfect-o! Younger brother, Bruce, is also joined by his lovely wife, Kelly Willis, on this set. "Rayne, Louisiana" should go down as one of the greatest country songs, hands down. If alt-country and Americana are your taste of music, then "Unleashed Live" MUST be a part of your collection.

Throw in a little Springsteen, a little Mellencamp a little Lucinda Williams and a whole lot of Texas and this is what you get. Absolutely one of the best CDs I've heard in a long, long time.

A CD can't even begin to capture the magic of hearing these three Texas greats playing to a packed house of Texans in the Lone Star state's oldest dance hall. There's no Shiner Bock to drink and there's no table top to dance on top of. Worse yet, reducing three full sets to a single CD, four songs for each artist, makes this something of a tightly cropped snapshot.

That said, what's here will give you a taste of what you missed, and provide motivation for exploring all three artists' catalogs. Bruce Robison opens the disc (as he did the evening's show) with some well-picked tunes from his catalog. In concert his set seemed a bit deep for the Friday night crowd, but upbeat honky tonk tunes like Jim Dickens' "The Good Life" and his own "Red Letter Day," balanced the slower ballads nicely. Guest harmonies from wife Kelly Willis and brother Charlie amplify his offerings.

Charlie Robison takes up the middle third, and commands the lion's share of the crowd's enthusiasm. While he first appeals as something of a hellraiser, his tunes strike a tremendous resonance with the crowd, and come across on disc as the perfect material for the venue. The last-night-of-the-tour electricity courses through his set.

Jack Ingram closes the show with a terrific set. Sadly, the braintrust at Lucky Dog left his best tunes off this compilation. "Mustang Burn" works better live than it did in its studio incarnation, and "Work This Out" is pleasant, though slight. "Barbie Doll" comes off even more obnoxiously live than in its previously LP release. The only real treat is the previously unreleased "Travis County," which was featured in the film "Hope Floats."

Also disappointing is the missing encore that featured the collected talent paying tribute to the (then) recently departed Doug Sahm. It would have made a nice end to the LP.

Overall this works as a good introduction or sampler to the Robison brothers, and a makes a rather weak case for Jack Ingram's enormous talent (both as a songwriter and as a live performer). Best bet is to followup with each of their latest LPs and a copy of Ingram's out-of-print "Live at Adair's" if you can find it.

A fan of Kelly Willis since 1990, it was a long time since her 1995 album, I began to collect various CD's with Kelly, compilations, soundtracks, other albums. This is how I discovered Bruce Robison, Kelly's husband and master song-writer. Then I saw a used copy of Charlie Robison's "life of the party" album. I had just read a good review of it. When I took it home, I put it on while doing some work on the computer. I stopped to immediately replay "Barlight," then just layed on the bed and listened to the rest of the album. Then I read that Kelly had sung at the wedding of her brother-in-law Charlie, to Dixie Chick Emily Robison, nee Erwin. Then I discovered the Dixie Chicks. This live album is delicious! And introduces Jack Ingram. BUY IT NOW!! And, by the way, BUY the newly released "One More Time," a compilation from Kelly Willis' three early albums on MCA. Enjoy yourself.

I thought it was the three together, but it's not, should has guessed by the way the cover photo is,divided, it's OK, nothing to get your chestnuts roasted over, 2 stars, that's all.