Folkscene Collection, Vol. 2 in Bloomington, MN

Like its highly recommended predecessor,
Folkscene Collection, Vol. 2
captures live-on-the-air performances from
Folkscene
, the acclaimed L.A. radio show. And since more than 1,500 such performances have aired during the program's 30-year history, it's no surprise that the producers didn't run out of good material on volume one. Far from it. Though most of the renditions on this collection are pretty faithful to the studio originals and revelations are few, the lineup of artists and songs is even more impressive this time out than last. And once again, the production values are terrific, especially considering that these are unvarnished live performances. Most of the 13 tracks are from the 1990s, but the collection also includes such vintage treats as a 1975
Tom Waits
reading of his classic
"The Heart of Saturday Night."
Other highlights include
Nanci Griffith
's
"Love at the Five & Dime,"
Lucinda Williams
'
"Little Angel, Little Brother,"
Greg Brown
"I'm This Blue,"
and
Tom Russell
"California Snow."
In addition, there's an acoustic
"Mr. Tambourine Man"
by
Chris Hillman
and three cohorts that's at least as much fun as the famous version he waxed with
the Byrds
way back when. ~ Jeff Burger