If the regular studio album allows a band to show off their ability to polish and perfect their music, and a live album is more about capturing a fleeting moment, then Bob Bradshaw’s “Live In Boston” is the best of both worlds. Recorded live, as it happened, but in a studio setting, the music mixes control and spontaneity to achieve the perfect feel.
This, his eleventh album, reminds us why he is so highly regarded in the broad Americana genre. It features thirteen songs reimagined and refined from years of shows from New York to San Francisco to Boston.
“Talkin’ About My Love For You” is the perfect opener, blending rock groove and bluesy moves, echoes of country, or at least alt-country, and some scintillating guitar breaks. From here, Bob proceeds to cover a lot of ground, “Material For the Blues” is a heartfelt folk ballad, “Hot In The Kitchen” is a low-slung, energetic foot-on-the-monitor boogie, and “Sideways” echoes with some old surf-infused early rock and roll, all resonant guitars and Tex-Mex flavors.
This “as-live” collection is the perfect example of why we need people like Bob Bradshaw. His ability to forge a path forward whilst acknowledging the sounds that have gone before reminds us that if you can find that perfect blend of the familiar and the fresh in your music, it will have not only mass appeal but will live forever.
