Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

Although Drew and his Neighbors are often described as Americana, this album reminded me a lot of Bob Seeger, Melissa Etheridge and Blackberry Smoke in style (and, going back quite a way, Randy Matthews) with odd nods towards the Eagles, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. This Nashville recording rolls along nicely in a mid-tempo sort of way. It's live but so well played and sung that it could almost have been a studio recording (although, as other reviewers have noted, the final track does sound like it was recorded in the tunnel afterwards - this is the exception, however). I especially liked the guitar work on "Avalanche" and "When It's All Said And Done" although the better tracks overall were probably towards the beginning of the album, with the material becoming more emotional later on as the concert progresses. Lyrically it's very clear (as you tend to get with this style of music) and clearly person-centric, sometimes expressing faith and sometimes love for his wife. I was just starting to think that "Live Forever" had more than a passing resemblance to "People Get Ready", when they started singing it, so I guess they noticed too. If you are a Holcomb fan, and there are plenty in Britain, you will enjoy this set.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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