Search - Susan Tedeschi - Live from Austin, TX on DVD

Flat Performance but good to have

Darla's Mum | Boston MA | 11/14/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This live performance probably is not one of Susan's better ones. I've seen Susan live three times and this performance is rather flat, unexciting and not as energized as what I've seen of her live. The band is good, but you get the impression that even with two keys players, something's missing. I think it's a guitarist. She needs a good player behind her backing her on critical guitar parts and constant rhythms, otherwise it's mostly keys and vocals. I'm glad to have SOMETHING by Susan on DVD to watch, but it's not one of her better shows."

She's more then competent

D. Pollard | Odessa, Texas United States | 01/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though I haven't had the pleasure of seeing Susan live as the previous reviewer has, I still loved this DVD. No Susan isn't a blazer on the fretboard as is her husband Derek Trucks is. She is however a very competent guitarist. Like BB she doesn't waste any notes. Like the other reviewer I would have prefered to see another guitar player and one keyboard player instead of the two. That said this is a great DVD. Susan has a very soulful voice. Shes a very good songwriter as well. I love her choice of material as well with the Stevie Wonder song ect ect. Not the typical blues fare. This is real close to five stars. A good DVD to have in your collection If you love blues and classic R&B."

A Great First DVD

SmallChange87 | Imperial, MO USA | 09/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I first saw that Susan had released a live recording, I was afraid to buy it in case she was not as good live as on her studio cds so I put it on my christmas list hoping Susan would deliver. My fear was totally unfounded and instantly disproved, this DVD is great from the first song to the Angel From Montgomery encore. Jason Crosby is great on piano and electric violin, and across the stage from him William Green plays Hammond b-3 looking like he's having a seziure. The rhythym section is great, Susan sings every song beautifully and her guitar is not in the same league as her husband, Derek Trucks, but if you've come to a Susan concert expecting mindblowing pyrotechnics you're in the wrong place to begin with (Try an Allman Brothers Concert Dummy) So if you're worried that Susan isn't the same live, stop worrying and buy this DVD. I still have not had the chance to see Susan live, so I don't know how this concert stacks up with her other live performances. Neither do I care. I still look forward to a live Susan Tedeschi show, but in the meantime this DVD will do fine."

A performer on the rise

Peter Baklava | Charles City, Iowa | 09/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I recently saw Susan Tedeschi in performance with her 2006 band, and I bought this dvd to see how her show compared with what she did in the past.

Anybody with any familiarity with Tedeschi knows that her greatest asset is her voice. She has "pipes" that are the equal of Joss Stone's, or Beth Hart's, or anybody else working in a blues/r&b vein. She can handle almost any material with ease.

This set on "Live From Austin" shows her versatility, as she tackles funk ("You Can Make it if You Try"), folk ("Don't Think Twice"), blues, torch songs and rock and roll. The diverse material is particularly suited for (then) band member Jason Crosby, who contributes some tasty violin to "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright", and "Angel From Montgomery", as well as underscoring some of the funkier offerings with electric piano.

"Live From Austin" is a pleasing mix of Tedeschi's different styles. She is a very competent guitarist, but I share the opinion of another reviewer in that I think she could benefit from the addition of a second guitarist. This would free her up to concentrate more on her vocals and showmanship. On this dvd (and when I saw her this year), she relied on her flamboyant organist Wllliam Green to get the crowd going. With players like Green in tow, Susan will always provide a good to great show. All she needs to do is go further with what she began with at the time of this dvd's creation--- pump up the funk, maybe record with a horn section, keep covering the great old tunes along with her originals.

In summary: this dvd portrays a solid but shy performer with great vocal chops and good instincts for well chosen tunes to cover. It's a good dvd, but it should pale next to what she does in the future...if she makes the right choices."