Darrell Scott and Friends in NC

I have seen Darrell Scott live in a few different settings and with different bands behind him. The first time was when he was part of Tim O'Brien's crossing. It was a magic day in the sun at Merlefest and he belted out his hit song “Great Day To Be Alive” to a crowd who knew little of Darrell himself but plenty about his many top 40 songs. To this day that is how Darrell remains. He is one of the most popular songwriters in Nashville and retains a huge amount of respect from fellow musicians and a growing hard core group of fans who have seen the magic of Darrell Scott live.

So while Darrell works on his next studio album it was a great idea to put out a live recording. Not only that, but for these shows, recorded in North Carolina , Darrell brought in his good pals and almost legendary session musicians, Kenny Malone and Danny Thompson. This is a three piece band that packs a serious punch. I love to see Darrell in intimate settings, like a recent solo performance in Eddie's Attic but sometimes a man has got to let loose and on this CD Darrell does just that.

Kicking off with the excellent “Miracle of Living” from Darrell's “Theater of the Unheard” album, the trio shows that this is going to be a fun and energetic show. There are the gentler moments of course with songs that are fast becoming classics like "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" and "With A Memory Like Mine".

The playing is great by all three players and they give a new feel to all Darrell's wizardry with words and melody. The nine tracks flow along nicely with nods to some of Darrell's own influences including the late Johnny Cash who's "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Still Miss Someone" both get a shot of Darrell's melodic adrenalin.

This is a gem of an album, mixed for full live effect with very little studio sheen added. It is a record of a fine night of music by some very fine players. It is well worth spending the money to have this in your collection.

Darrell's next studio CD will be hitting the shelves in April and is currently titled “Hank William's Ghost”.

To see Darrell live anytime soon you will have to come visit me in Georgia . He is playing Eddie's Attic again in Decatur GA on January 21 st, which sadly I will miss due to being on a flight back from Celtic Connections. Having said that, if I can beat the jet lag, I will be heading into the hills to the lovely Dahlonega on January 22nd to see the man in action one more time.

For more info on these gigs and other forthcoming shows visit Darrell's site at http://www.darrellscott.com