Sunday, November 23, 2008
A+E, Music, Reviews

SHAWN MULLINS

“LIVE AT THE VARIETY PLAYHOUSE” (CD/DVD) (VANGUARD)

Local troubadour Mullins’ annual Thanksgiving appearance at the Variety Playhouse can now be experienced anytime with the simultaneous release of this DVD and CD (available separately) of last year’s gig. Although they capture the same show, the two formats are different experiences: The DVD presents the acoustic portion followed by the electric, the way it was performed, while the reconfigured CD begins plugged in, shifts to the solo section and closes with the band cranking out “Lullaby” and “House of the Rising Sun.”

    Mullins is captivating without a band (which is how he typically tours), but it’s the electric selections that are most impressive. Clay Cook, drummer Gerry Hansen and Sheryl Crow guitarist Peter Stroud bulk up the tunes without losing Mullins’ inherent personality. Everyone plays well, and Mullins cherry-picks from his catalog (sticking closely to his last two albums), making this an adequate representation of one of his better shows. But there are missed opportunities.
   
Surely, with two full sets, the performance was longer than the hour-long DVD, so why not add the missing-in-action songs, or include others from a different show? And while singer Francine Reed adds a few insubstantial “la-las” to “All in My Head,” why not feature her on more selections and spice up the arrangements? And how about bringing other Atlanta musician friends on stage to make this a special event? While the CD and DVD are solid representations of Mullins’ set, both could have been so much more.  3 STARS—Hal Horowitz