Live At The 9.30 Club

Ireland’s favourite troubadour is back with the second live album of his career. Originally released in the U.S. on Record Store Day back in April, Live At The 9:30 Club documents the Idaho native’s sold-out stopover at the Washington D.C. venue last October – a ‘perfect night’, if Ritter’s sleeve notes are anything to go by.
Live albums are always very much hit-and-miss, however, and though Ritter makes a fair fist of his setlist (all but one track taken from The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter), his quivering, country-twang warble seems overwhelmed by his band at various points. ‘Mind’s Eye’, ‘Rumors’ and ‘Right Moves’ are given solid run-throughs, but never threaten to outshine their recorded counterparts.
There is a silver lining, however: songs which were very obviously made for a live audience (‘To The Dogs Or Whoever’, the excellent ‘Real Long Distance’ and scatty, crowd-enthusing hoe-down ‘Next To The Last Romantic’) are all infectiously likeable, while the stripped-down acoustic numbers (‘The Temptation Of Adam’, ‘Lawrence, KS’) showcase the subtle nuances of his style.
If you’re still waiting to be impressed by a Josh Ritter release, you’ll probably be waiting a bit longer; Live At The 9:30 Club is unlikely to incite you to rush out to buy tickets for his next tour. Ardent devotees will lap this up, though – as well as the three included videos, and two bonus tracks recorded in front of a giddy audience in Waterford last year.
Key Track: ‘Real Long Distance’