CD Review: Sophie B. Hawkins: "Bad Kitty Board Mix, Live"

Volume 7, Issue 3, March 2008

CD Review:
Sophie B. Hawkins: "Bad Kitty Board Mix, Live"
Lightyear Records

(Your response goes here.)

Write a letter to the editor: Holler@capcityfreepress.com Just include your full name, and city/county, state and/or country from which you are writing. (Your email address will NOT be posted with your letter.)

Joseph O. Patton
Editor and Publisher
Capital City Free Press

Praised and adored for her fierce independence artistically and in the music industry, Sophie B. Hawkins has again thrown down the musical gauntlet, daring to release a two-disc live experience. Though many artists have dipped into such waters, few if any have been gutsy enough to release the raw board mixes from their concerts... yet Sophie has done just that--no artificial applause injected, no studio gimmickry to smooth over miscues or wrong notes--just Sophie, take it or leave it.

Known for such hits as "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" and "As I Lay Me Down," Hawkins has taken a collection of her better known songs, coupled them with two clever covers and exposed her soul. The recordings were made in Sydney, Australia and Seattle.

Listeners will immediately be struck by Hawkins' emotion-charged performance. It is bold and in sharp contrast to many artists who appear to simply go through the motions on stage, hopping from town to town simply trying to complete a tour for a fat payday. This collection also reveals what a tight, even cosmic, connection she manages to create between herself and her audience, erasing whatever distance, physically and emotionally, rests between the artist and the crowd. Always candid and down to earth, Hawkins even yells out key changes to the band as they rock along.

This two-disc set consisting of 16 tracks is an absolute must-own for Sophie fans and a great introduction for newbies who are just discovering her work.