A companion album to
Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live
,
Donald Fagen
's
The Nightfly Live
captures a 2019 performance of the 1982 album by
Steely Dan
(or the Steely Dan Band, as
Fagen
chooses to call them in the years following
Walter Becker
's 2017 death). Original producer
Gary Katz
is on board to capture all the sonic intricacies of this concert, helping the live album to sound remarkably similar to its studio predecessor. There are differences, to be sure: the digital punch of the 1982 record has been warmed, the beats swing a bit more,
's voice is thin and wispy, the backup singers take the lead on "Maxine," and there's a bit more emphasis on R&B rhythms -- all elements that make this feel like a concert despite the precision of the production and performances. It's enough to keep
Donald Fagen's The Nightfly Live
fleet on its feet, which is enough to keep this record fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine