Nell Bryden - Live From Iraq
There have been a few live albums released over the years which have caused some controversy within the music world, Johnny Cash’s 'Live At Folsom Prison' was one in its day and likely Nell Bryden’s 'Live In Iraq' has also caused a stir with some people.
Now while Mr Cash had already become a house hold name and could afford to lose the “fans” that were outraged, Miss Bryden is not so fortunate, which is why this CD comes with a delightful little booklet detailing how and why she decided to do this trip to play for the boys and girls serving out there and not for any political reasons. It also explains how her band at the time all decided they suddenly had other things to do rather than go with her, so a new band was formed just days before the trip, which on the sound of things must have been whipped into shape as they sound like they have been together for quite some time.
Considering the recordings for the album were taken from various bases in Iraq and Kuwait the sound quality is a lot better than expected. With a mix of covers and her own tunes the crowd clearly can be heard loving the songs with one member heard shouting “Thank you” and really meaning it at the end of 'Second Time Around' and it is not surprisingly, it has been said many times on here before that Nell Bryden possesses one of the best voices around and it never sounds better when heard live and is perfectly suited for the Blues / Americana songs on the album.
It is good to hear Nell Bryden sing some classics that we do not normally get to hear live including Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 'Tuesday’s Gone' (James Hetfield please note, this is how you should sing it), The Animals famous tune 'The House of the Rising Sun', Arthur Crudup’s 'That’s All Right Mama' which was made famous by Elvis as well as some traditional Blues songs like 'I Know You Rider' and 'Hell Hound On My Trail'. Coupled with a selection of her own tunes, 'Live In Iraq' surprises in all the best ways as a classy record.
Luckily you do not have to go all the way to Iraq to see Nell Bryden live, as she is touring here in UK and Ireland this month starting with a free gig in the afternoon of 9th May at the Fornarina store in London’s Carnaby Street as part of the impressive City Showcase Music Festival.