Somerville Live

EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Recorded on May 5, 1999. The CD contains an enhanced CD ROM track - Live at Passim 1/1/2000.

REVIEW
With Somerville Live, Gilbert did what only the most gifted and confident entertainers dare: Release one hour-long set as a recording - no retakes, no picking the best several versions, no fiddling with the crowd reactions. The result is that rare concert record that feels like a concert, full of spontaneous asides and surprise moments. He alternates humanistic anthems and hard-bitten topical songs with ballads that are romantic without ever seeming schmaltzy. Before stepping onto the stage, young songwriters should study this disc the way law students cram for bar exams. --The Boston Globe

Ever since a Shawn Colvin concert first inspired Vance Gilbert to abandon his career as a jazz singer and throw himself head first into Boston's bustling folk scene, he has been developing and maintaining a reputation as one of the most dynamic and entertaining live performers in folk music. But he has always been resistant to the idea of a concert album. Fortunately for listeners, Gilbert's popularity eventually wore down his resistance. On May 5, 1999, Gilbert joined his good friend Ellis Paul at Boston's Somerville Theatre for a three hour concert -- with tape rolling. Paul's set is contained on the two-disc Ellis Paul Live, while Gilbert's was released in the form of Somerville Live. It's clear that Gilbert will live up to the buzz about his live act right from the introduction, in which the singer banters with an eight-year-old fan. He bounds through the 60-minute set (which is presented virtually unedited), slamming out Watching a Good Thing Burn and Why Are We So Cruel? with a rapid Ani DiFranco-esque funk-folk guitar technique, emoting passionately on ballads like Charlene and High Rise, belting out an a cappella Al Jarreau cover, and riffing hilariously on topics as wide ranging as religion, friendship, and Teletubbies. He even provides a side-splitting impression of Billie Holiday. As an unexpected bonus, the CD includes two enhanced videos that can be viewed on a computer. The first is of a live performance of Taking It All to Tennessee, a song Gilbert wrote for Ellis Paul. The second features Paul singing background vocals on Amelia. The videos are icing on an already well-frosted cake that may constitute Gilbert's best album so far. --Evan Cater, AllMusic.com

Number of Discs: 1

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.