(Epic)
Most artists stumble when releasing a live album because the albums come across as self-serving, overproduced pieces of garbage'see Van Halen's live album from '93 for reference. Ben Folds' latest release is a live album recorded on his impromptu 2002 summer tour, using lo-fi eight-track recording equipment and produced in friend/producer Marc Chevalier's apartment. The result is anything but self-serving or overproduced.
Opening with the winning track from 1997's Whatever and Ever Amen, \One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces,"" Folds' album unfurls like a catalog of his entire musical career. The album entails at least two songs from every release in his catalog from his first effort with Ben Folds Five to his most recent solo album Rockin' the Suburbs.
If the album has one fault, it's that it emphasizes Folds' quieter, more intimate songs such as, ""Brick,"" ""Narcolepsy"" and ""one down."" These songs do not necessarily give a true impression of the swaggering and often bumpin' Folds live.
The amount of more personal tracks on the album should not fool anyone as there are plenty of moments where Mr. Folds outright rocks it hard. Namely ""The Last Polka,"" ""Zak and Sara"" and on an extended version of ""Philosophy"" that includes an incredible piano solo that borders on divine.
Another strong point of Folds' album is the impressive amount of audience participation that he incorporates into his actual music. Rather than having the crowd shout out a token ""Hell Yeah,"" Folds includes the audience as a choral section as well as a horn section for the tracks ""Not the Same"" and ""Army,"" respectively.
The most amazing part of Folds is his talent for making so many old Ben Folds Five songs sound just as good with only him and his piano. His solo tours have in many respects opened a new vein of live piano music, away from the world of Yanni and much more towards a cynical and more talented Elton John.
