by Chris Thiessen
David Grier - Live at The Linda
2007 Dreadnought Records (#0701)
I think it should be a federal law that musicians need to produce at least one live album sometime in their career. In a live album, an artist cannot hide behind double tracking and overdubbing which might be a temptation in a studio album. Live albums also demonstrate, conclusively, who is the master of the instrument.
I've had the good fortune to see David Grier live several times, and while I certainly delight in watching him play, I especially like to watch folks who have never seen him live before. There's this denial/acceptance cycle as they try to rationalize what they "know" to be possible with the guitar versus what their eyes and ears are experiencing.
But I digress...
Live at the Linda (the "Linda" being WAMC's Performing Arts Studio in Albany, NY) is a typical Grier show (if there can be such a thing): he plays some tunes, tells some stories, plays some more tunes, and wows the crowd. And he does it in this self-effacing way that almost undercuts his musical inventiveness, a preternatural skill that splices together "America the Beautiful" and "Yesterday," generates the original tunes "Road to Hope" or "Have You Ever Been to England," or revitalizes "Redwing" or "The Old Spinning Wheel."
Grier is an astounding guitar talent whose inventiveness is perfectly matched for the live show. If you already have one or all of David's studio albums, you owe it to your musical awareness to get Live at the Linda. (Chris Thiessen)