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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An EXCELLENT live recording from start to finish!, April 12, 2002
I want to start by saying that I usually find live recordings to be very boring and rather negligible, because it seems that the performers simply cannot live up to the expectations they establish with their polished studio recordings. I am pleased to tell you that this is not the case with Juice Newton's live CD. This lady possesses a beautiful voice, she knows how to use it, and every single performance on this CD is exquisitely rendered. (And Newton's largely talented band members are allowed to shine as well.) The superior sound quality of the recording is simply astonishing; the entire work is crytal clear from start to finish. Another interesting point of this CD is that it features none of the standard overdubs that most artists do to their live recordings. This is the live vocal from Newton's performance at The Key Club on Sept. 10, 2001. This, combined with the considerable talent of everyone involved, produces a truly superior live album. The song selection of the CD is pleasing and pretty surprising. Newton picks and chooses from her hit singles, and she even omits several of her biggest hits (like the big pop hit "Heart Of The Night" and her Top 10 country hits "What Can I Do With My Heart" and "Tell Me True") in favor of more obscure older material (like "Shot Full Of Love," which is a true highlight of this collection). Newton also performs many songs that are rather new to her repetoire, like the terrific "Red-Blooded American Girl" and "Trouble With Angels," making this CD more about who she is as an artist than about who she was. She even goes so far as to string some of her biggest hits together as medleys to give her newer material even bigger chances to shine. Overall, this is an unbeatable live recording, filled with variety and surprisingly moving, first-rate performances. A real bonus is the extra CD of new studio recordings. Newton's "If I Could I Would" is amazing! I certainly hope Image Entertainment promotes this song as a single. It could easily propel Newton to the top of the charts again. All four of the studio tracks are TERRIFIC, including the title track, "Your Heart Is Showing," and "Love Is Still Alive And Well." These recordings showcase that Newton is still at the top of her game, and she can easily outperform any country-pop act appearing on the charts today. Note: I would like to set the record straight as far as how many songs appear on this 2-CD set. There are a total of 25 songs on this album, not 16 as the CD's track listing would have one believe. The "hidden" tracks on the live CD are "Back To You" and "Love Is Still Alive And Well." In fact, the only gripe I have with this collection is the inferior packaging. Listeners should ignore the track listing on the back of the CD. The latter half of song titles is mislabelled and horribly out-of-order. Additionally, a few song titles are even incorrectly listed, including "Ride 'Em Cowboy" and "Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me." It seems as if the designer of the CD cover could not be bothered to research the song titles and order. Still, I encourage potential buyers of this CD to buy it anyway. Newton, her band, and the producers have created a truly fine piece of work...and it simply should not be overlooked.
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