Beth Hart

Front And Center Live From New York

Provogue / Mascot Label Group

Beth Hart has eight solo studios albums and four collaborative albums with Joe Bonamassa. Her last studio album “Fire On The Floor” has resulted in three 2018 Blues Music Award nominations; Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Female Artist, and Best Instrumentalist – Vocals. She shares the last category with five male nominees. Hart has accumulated seven BMA nominations overall.

This is only Hart’s second live solo recording her last being thirteen years ago. “Live From New York” was recorded at NYC’s intimate Iridium Jazz Club. The Iridium is the best music room in New York City. It has great sound and visablilty for those lucky enough to see a show there. Recorded on March 7^th, 2017 the CD/DVD features songs from “Fire On The Floor” and from her fourth just released Bonamassa collaboration “Black Coffee”. A portion of the DVD is currently airing on Season Eight of PBS’s “Front And Center”.

The inclusion of the DVD gives the viewer the pleasure of seeing the dynamic Hart in various configurations with her current band members. Vocalist Hart plays piano, acoustic guitar and bass; and is accompanied by Jon Nichols guitars and background vocals; bassist Bob Marinelli; and Cleveland’s fabulous Bill Ransom, drums.  Ransom is equally comfortable with classical music, Jazz, R n’ B and rock as he sets the steady foundation for Hart’s versatile performance.

Hart plays piano on some of her jazzier songs including “Baddest Blues” and the sensational “Jazz Man” reprised from her lattest studio recording. She switches to an acoustic guitar for the sensitive “St. Teresa” and for “Broken And Ugly”.

My favorite moments are when Hart is standing and fronting the band on the more rockin’ numbers, especially “Let’s Get Together” and “Delicious Surprise”. When she comes back for her encore Hart brings out special guest Sonny Landreth who plays slide on Randy Weeks’ “Can’t Let Go”.  She concludes the “Front And Center” video with “As Long As I Have A Song” featuring the lyric “bartender…pour me a dream”.

Hart displays her extraordinary talent on this live presentation. After listening to and viewing this recording you will want to go see her.

Richard Ludmerer

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