Mercury Retrograde

Great Live CD by a great artist.

Nice first live Album for Jesse. The track list seems perfect for this format. I can't wait to hear a new live album incorporating some of more recent albums.

Great album from a great performer. If you haven't seen him live, don't miss him if he comes your way.Downloading the album from Amazon was straightforward.

Say yeah! This is a terrific live recording from 2007, combined with 5 studio tracks, including a wonderful cover of the Pogues' holiday classic "Fairytale of New York" (Amazon's track listings fail to include that song and others on this CD, but check the back cover photo for the full list).I belatedly discovered Jesse Malin about two years ago and have been buying almost anything I see by him in retail stores (what few there are nowadays) or from Amazon. I'm really impressed by his albums and think he deserves much more acclaim. One of those honest and gritty rockers who plays and sings with passion and flair. It also doesn't hurt that his songs (both rockers and ballads) have a strong melodic undercurrent. This guy is the real deal.This recording, even the live stuff, is not entirely acoustic, but it is more stripped back and intimate than the studio albums. An appreciative audience at the Mercury Lounge in New York City shout their approval throughout the recording, but without drowning out the performance. Malin delivers some impassioned live versions of his studio songs (and two covers), plus I like his between songs patter. Funny and honest. Sounds like a guy I'd like to share a few drinks with.My only complaint is the lack of details that come with the CD. Even though he does covers of "Fairytale of New York" and Neil Young's "Helpless" (I love the song, but honestly, I think Malin's cover of it is not very good, the low point on an otherwise excellent album), there are no songwriting credits anywhere to be found on the track listings. The 4-page CD "Booklet" has only photos and no further information about the recording at all, other than a list of the guest musicians on the inside CD tray.I could take off points for the lack of liner notes and information that came with the CD, but the music is so good (and the recording is good quality too), that I'd feel badly to downgrade such an impressive performance. If you've enjoyed Malin's studio albums, don't miss the chance to get this live recording too.