LIVE:
Awake - The Best of Live
(RadioActive)

LIVE: Awake - The Best of Live (RadioActive) With Awake - The Best of Live, the band has produced their most consistent record since Throwing Copper. That album still remains their best effort, but Awake shows that the band had a number of great songs after that too. Of course, not long after Throwing Copper, lead vocalist and lyricist Ed Kowalczek got seriously full of himself and as a result, much of the post-Copper releases were all hit-and-miss. Still, for all the throwaway songs like "All Over You" (why couldn't use the infinitely better "t.b.d." instead?) and "Turn My Head," they redeem themselves with tracks like "Lakini's Juice" and "The Dolphin's Cry."

As is the case with just about any greatest hits package these days, there are 3 new and/or unreleased tracks: "We Deal in Dreams" (an outtake from the Throwing Copper sessions), a new version of "Run Away" (this time, a duet with Shelby Lynne), and an interesting cover of the Johnny Cash standard, "I Walk the Line." Awake - The Best of Live is an excellent representation of the York, PA band's output over the last decade or so. Sure, longtime fans will always find something to complain about with a compilation like this, but there are enough good tracks here to please even the most jaded listeners.

© 2005 Steve Marshall
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