Any discussion of a Best Of or live album is as likely to revolve around what’s left out as what gets in. Mundy’s first foray into such territory, Live And Confusion, is no exception, but it also marks a genuine milestone in the career of the Birr troubadour. The balance leans towards his most recent material, with seven of the album’s fifteen tracks stemming from 2004’s Raining Down Arrows, while only ‘To You I Bestow’ and ‘Gin & Tonic Sky’ are included from his greatly under-appreciated debut.
The CD is mixed to exclude any on-stage banter, focusing instead entirely on the music – an advantage when it comes to securing radio play, perhaps. But the CD comes with a bonus DVD, and therein lies one of its great strengths. The aching ‘Lynchpin’, for example, on the DVD, is afforded considerable added weight by Mundy’s emotive introduction.
Interestingly, it’s the recent material which benefits most from being given the live treatment. Where previously I felt it was one of his lesser songs, ‘By Her Side’ here emerges as a more potent offering by far; a magnificent ‘10,000 Miles Away’ and an infectious ‘Love And Confusion’ also benefit from a breath of live air. Plus, ‘Rescue Remedy’ and ‘Rainbow’ have rarely sounded better.