Customer Reviews

Winter Marquee

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1986, folk luminary Nanci Griffith released ONE FAIR SUMMER EVENING, a live album showcasing the finest music of her career's early years. Comprised of classic tunes from THE LAST OF THE TRUE BELIEVERS, ONCE IN A VERY BLUE MOON, and her other Rounder releases, the album introduced Nanci to music listeners as a young woman with a delightful sense of humor, creative grace, and indescribable talent. Although Nanci has released a great many wonderful albums over the last sixteen years, she has never again returned to the world of live albums...until now.

If you have ever seen Nanci Griffith in concert, you are well aware of the fact that it is an amazing experience. Her breathtaking music, emotional lyrics, and occasional quips for humor and politics all express her talent and make her live performances unforgettable. The newly released live CD WINTER MARQUEE captures the essence of her amazing shows. From John Prine's "The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" to "Traveling Through This Part of You" to the phenomenal new version of "I'm Not Drivin' These Wheels (Bring the Prose to the Wheel)," the album surveys the greatest music from Nanci's first album (1978's THERE'S A LIGHT BEYOND THESE WOODS) all the way to the present. The album is actually far more oldies than recent songs, as WINTER MARQUEE seems to pay a long deserved homage to the folk styled beauty of Nanci's early recordings--new versions of Nanci's tribute to Loretta Lynn, "Listen to the Radio" and the uptempo "I Wish It Would Rain" give fans a new glimpse of favorites they have missed for years. The true highlight of the versions of these old classics, though, is a new recording of "Gulf Coast Highway," which (FINALLY!) features duet vocals by Blue Moon Orchestra pianist James Hooker. While Nanci and Hooker have performed this together in concert since the song's release in the late '80s, this is the first time their version has been released publically.

But WINTER MARQUEE isn't all oldies but goodies. The album also features four new songs that showcase Nanci's current talents at their finest. "Goodnight, New York," a beautiful tribute to those who immigrated to our country a century ago, has been performed by Nanci in concert since last fall, and is included here with lovely duet vocals by country veteran Emmylou Harris. The country flavored "Last Train Home" and "White Freight Liner" seem to pay tribute to the influences of music that have been lost to us over the last year, and the folk tune "What's That I Hear" gives Nanci's haunting vocals a chance to shine.

While WINTER MARQUEE fails to match the greatness of her previous live album, it will NOT fail to impress the typical diehard Nanci fan. With new versions of old favorites, new versions of new favorites, and the talent and creativity that goes into every one of her albums, Nanci's second live album is a triumph.

If you have to choose between the Cd, and the DVD, Get the DVD. The DVD has I believe 5 extra songs, and is the full concert. The CD has all the in between song chatter cut out, and the audience applause between songs seems to be turned down. This almost sounds like a studio recording. I have both versions, and I am much happier with the DVD version. But of course any Nanci Griffith music is beautiful. I just wanted a true live feeling.

After two disappointing albums from Nanci Griffith, "Winter Marquee" is a delightful surprise. Not to mention a definite improvement over her one other live album, "One Fair Summer Evening," which I give five stars for performance but one star for sound quality - that one always sounded to me like the final mix was phoned in. This time around, Griffith and friends are in fine form and it feels like you're in the audience.

Most of the songs are among her best-known ones, but Griffith is one of those performers who can make even old favorites sound fresh on stage. Classics like "I Wish It Would Rain" and "Listen To the Radio" are just as addictive here as the first time you heard them, and "Gulf Coast Highway" (never among my favorites from her catalog, but I know I'm outvoted on that one!) gets yet another righteous revival. "I'm Not Drivin' These Wheels" and "Traveling Through This Part of You" get my votes for this collection's biggest revelations; the studio versions of both were always a bit forgettable for me, but the performances here are irresistible.

The covers are also terrific. This performance of John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" tops both the original and Griffith's previous recording of it, but Julie Gold's "Good Night New York" really steals the show. Written years before 9/11 as a tribute to past generations of immigrants, it unavoidably has more than one meaning now. There is only one new original song featured here, "Last Train Home" (at least I think it's new), but it's a scorching Texas tale which features some of her all time best lyrics, guaranteed to make good use of your "repeat" button. Here's hoping she's written more songs like this one for the next album - and in the meantime, this one is a more than welcome addition to her collection.

This disc adds little new to Nanci Griffith's corpus. Chances are you've already heard most of these songs. But there's a certain spark in live folk and country that makes this CD eminently worth listening to.

Recorded (the liner notes don't say where) on the "Clock Without Hands" tour, this CD features both recent and older. It brings tunes like "Listen to the Radio" back into play, and it also allows her to try on the music of others. She covers classic songwriters like Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan, and current major names like John Prine and the late Townes Van Zandt.

Griffith is one of those gifted musicians, rare in this day of teen-pop and boy bands, who sounds as good live as in the studio. It's a joy to listen to her swing through the tracks, plainly loving making music as much as we love listening. She's backed by a skilled band who fill out her sound, and they really help her sound good.

This is the kind of CD you can stick in the player and listen to over and over again. I have, in fact, done so. I recommend you do the same.

This album is a great live recording and once again Nanci Griffith delivers a "from the heart" performance. A thoughtfully compiled set list brought back great memories listening to songs like "I'm Not Driving These Wheels" and "Wish It Would Rain". The only part missing for me was her humourous, warm-hearted, honest chat between tunes which all adds to her charm and her special way of connecting to her audience but that aside, a brilliant piece of work - a collectors item not to be missed. I have the DVD on order!

Nanci has always excelled in her live performances, connecting with each audience in a way that seems impossibly intimate, yet with a winsome self-affacement that bowls them over every time. Although recent albums -- both studio and live -- have slowly crept towards a by-rote professionalism, this concert album is a decisive return to form, showcasing all that is best about Griffith's live persona. Its acoustic roots run deep; the tinkling piano riffs are held in check, her vocals are impassioned and direct. After gliding through some of her best love songs, Griffith gets a little bogged down in earnest folkie political material -- maybe a song or two too many in that direction, but you do get that she's really sincere about this stuff. Anyone who's seen her live will be enchanted by this new album; it really conveys that certain something that sets Nanci above the crowd. Recommended!

While her last couple of studio albums have suffered from dull, energy-sapping production, this live album finally gives her songs a chance to shine with some of the vitality that characterized much of her earlier work. On Winter Marquee, the songs sound crisp and fresh, but with an enhanced sense of maturity and experience to back them up...not to mention some of her famous aw-shucks commentary in between a few of them. Stand-out songs include great renditions of "There's a Light Beyond These Woods (Mary Margaret)" and "Listen to the Radio". The new songs on the disc are also quite strong and should stand up well over time with the rest of the material here. Overall, it's a very classy and honest performance.

What a great concert that must have been. I have seen Nanci Griffith live three times and each time has been magical. That feeling comes through in this CD. On first listening to this CD, I missed the stories that are so much a part of her concerts. However, now that I have listened to the CD non-stop for a week, I must say I love just having the music. Nevertheless, I will be buying the DVD to get the stories.

Although a lot of these songs are songs that she has recorded before, she brings something new to each version. One of my favorite songs, "Boots of Spanish Leather," is unbelievably beautiful on this CD. It starts out with just Nanci and the guitar and builds slowly to a crescendo of voices and instruments. "There's a Light Beyond These Woods," is even more poignant than before now that Nanci is older and wiser. Although the whole album is fantastic, I would buy it just for those two songs.

Get this album!!!

Nanci Griffith fans will be pleased to hear these live recordings made in support of her "Clock Without Hands" tour. Nanci has chosen some beautiful songs and performs them with obvious affection for the lyrics and melodies. Overall, this is a wonderful CD and the sound quality of the recording is excellent for an in-concert disc. What's missing from this disc is the storytelling narration that made Nanci's previous in-concert CD, "One Fair Summer Evening," a five-star classic.

I have listened to the Marquee CD, and I fell in love...Again. How can you not? She is once again, amazing. However, I am delighted in knowing there is a DVD as well. For some reason, I never even looked. I just wanted the music. But after reading all the reviews, I saw that there is a DVD out there, and I will go back and get it. She is amazing, she is wonderful, she is timeless and her music will live on for ages. I just wish I could see her in concert, but I am afraid she would leave me breathless...