Your Town Tonight

Eliza Gilkyson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 17, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Red House
• ASIN: B000R348A8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,809 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Eliza Gilkyson may not be as big a marquee name as fellow folkies Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin, but her repertoire is no less well-crafted, cerebral, or darkly compelling ("Requiem"). This live recording--her first--captured largely in her adopted hometown of Austin, Texas, revisits her "best of" original songs ("Rose of Sharon") and serves up covers by her father Terry Gilkyson (the haunting "Green Fields," a hit for the Brothers Four) and Bob Dylan (a quieter version of "Jokerman" than she offered years ago). Gilkyson's spoken prattle is both wry and informative, and her touring band delivers just the right blend of emphasis and embroidery, never overpowering her smooth, dusky alto or upstaging her sometimes frighteningly intense lyrics ("Hard Times in Babylon"). The Grammy nominee doesn't sing a song so much as she inhabits a story, and she affects a kind of understated miracle with "Tennessee Road," making the poignant, if timeworn Elvis Presley saga seem utterly new and chilling in its first-person telling. Your Town Tonight is a must-have for the Gilkyson faithful, and serves as a fine primer for the uninitiated. --Alanna Nash

Product Description

Your Town Tonight is singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson's first-ever live release in a music career that began in the late 1960s. It's the fifth album on Red House Records for the Grammy-nominated, Austin Music Hall of Fame-enshrined artist, following the acclaimed Paradise Hotel, which won three Austin Music Awards and four Folk Alliance Awards.

Responding to adamant demands for a live CD, Eliza Gilkyson delivers 14 songs full of the passion and humor that fans have come to expect in her moving live performances. Although frequently requested favorites like "Beauty Way" and "Requiem" are included, Your Town Tonight is unique in its breadth, showcasing older originals like "Rose of Sharon" and "Lights of Santa Fe," as well as covers of songs by Bob Dylan ("Jokerman") and her father Terry Gilkyson ("Bare Necessities" and "Green Fields").

Recorded predominantly at the Cactus Café in her hometown of Austin, Texas, the album features a familiar cast of characters that includes her long-time producer Mark Hallman and her award-winning band--Mike Hardwick (electric guitar, dobro), Cisco Ryder (drums, vocals), Glenn Fukunaga (bass), Jeff Plankenhorn (acoustic guitar, vocals) and Robert McEntee (electric guitar, vocals). Also joining her is label-mate Ray Bonneville, adding searing blues harmonica on "Angel and Delilah" and "Dark Side of Town."

From the rocking Americana sounds of the first track to the down home swing of the last, Your Town Tonight is a friendly recording that draws the listener in, showing what makes Eliza Gilkyson stand out from the crowded field of singer-songwriters, causing critics to call her "one of the most original and influential folk artists of our time" (This Is Texas Music).

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing compares to Eliza live, but this is a great collection of her work, September 7, 2007

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Your Town Tonight (Audio CD)

For those of you who haven't met her, Eliza is the daughter of Terry Gilkyson, who wrote "Bare Necessities" for the Jungle Book and "Green Fields" which is a folkie standard. Eliza lives in Austin, TX now and plays there frequently.

I've heard most of this music live during the time I lived in Austin and listening to this music is like coming home. Ms. Gilkyson has an amazing voice that I'd describe as honey and habaneros. She's one of those people I keep hoping will be 'discovered'. She's certainly paid some dues and created some lovely music to boot.

"Beauty Way" talks about Terry Gilkyson and Eliza's career in relationship to his.

"Requiem" is one of the most beautifully done songs I have ever heard. It was done for the tsunami and is truly a threnody to the suffering and death that took place.

"Hard Times In Babylon" is probably my favorite of her music--if it's possible to have one from so many fine tunes. Another tale of the music business.

I have every CD Eliza has done plus her work with Will Taylor and Strings Attached, a great string ensemble that accompanies many of the best musicians around at Friday Night concerts in Austin.
This CD is a great addition for a completist like me and I'd call it a "Greatest Hits Live" collection for those who do not know her but would like to find out more.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The sheer purity of understated perfection, September 7, 2007

By 

Roderic (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your Town Tonight (Audio CD)

I don't think I have ever been more impressed with a live album. Often, a live recording doesn't do the studio recording justice, while in this case, the songs, which were presented beautifully on the studio recordings, take on a new empowered life, and are energized with a power and grace that are captivating. Eliza's voice is like aged crystal imbued with unmuted light, clear, strong, persistent and perfectly toned. The exquisite, thought provoking, life affirming lyrics, resonate through the audience, whether present or on the other side of the speaker. Intellectual, simplistic, and constucted with care and finesse. This is more than trying to find the outline of a flame behind oil paper. This is as clear as a shooting star on a cloudless night without a hint of light pollution. This is the lasting, appreciated, and classic music of Eliza Gilkyson, and live, she is better than ever.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Live Performances CD, November 23, 2007

By 

Robert Goyette (Southeastern, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Your Town Tonight (Audio CD)

This is my first Eliza Gilkyson CD and couldn't have picked anything better. Have already listened to it in full many times over. Sings two of her dad's songs and a couple others are tributes to him, and extremely well done. High quality band, timing, etc. Deserves five stars without hesitation. A very pleasant listening experience.