Live Live by Fabulous Thunderbirds

Live Live

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Live Live

Features

Audio CD (October 9, 2001)

Number of Discs: 1

Format: Johnny Johnson on steroids, and Kid Ramos dishes out rhythm 'n' leads with reverb-drenched efficiency, while Wilson keeps his pushy baritone thundering above it all. Ramos dives into the old T-Birds hit "Tuff Enuff" with a solo that punctuates steely riffing with funky chords. Wilson--although unremittingly powerful--sounds best on the slower numbers like Guitar Slim's "The Things That I Used to Do" (another Ramos showpiece) and Jerry McCain's "Tough Enough." The slower tempos allow him to wrap his voice around the lyrics, stretching syllables the same way his singing harp elongates and elaborates notes. The only gripe is that this concert's tight arrangements don't give Wilson enough time to solo. As his guest performances on Ronnie Earl's new Ronnie Earl and Friends (Telarc) displays, the more Wilson stretches, the more inventive and melodic his playing becomes. And Wilson's solo return to the studio is overdue. --Ted Drozdowski

Reader Reviews
I don't know what album the other reviewers are listening too, but it can't be the one I've got. I'm a HUGE Kim Wilson fan, I just love Kid Ramos to death, and the T-Birds have always been in high rotation in my house. But this? This is "Kim Wilson and the Contractual Commitments featuring Kid Ramos" Seriously, if you want live Kim Wilson, get "Smoking Joint" if you want live T-Birds, get "Different Tacos" and any of Ramos' solo albums are way better than this. (And if you enjoy hearing Gene Taylor play 8-to-the-bar octaves, there's no hope for you, so buy this...) I'm giving this 2 stars only because I like Wilson's voice, and Ramos does his usual crack job on most of it. But T-Birds?!?? No way, man.

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