WELCOME BACK TO THE SEBENTIES WITH THE GRAMONSTER SHOW

What is with that mixing...?!

It is sometimes quite difficult to review live albums. First of course is the decision whether to base its merit on the songs chosen, or the performance, or some balance of the two. In any case, the criteria is usually a lot less clear than with a studio album. While the focus of live albums depends on the artist mostly, there are a few things that are necessary for any musician's recording in front of a live audience. Chiefly among them; sound quality. While Sébastien Gramond's earlier live album 'Teardrops Live' may not have had the greatest production values (and was weakened as a result), one could still listen to it and enjoy it for its fresh keyboard rendition of an existing song suite. This first bout with the live recorded Gramond Trio may have been a very admirable showcase of the prolific musician's talents and charms in front of a live audience. Unfortunately, despite the talented performance here, the whole thing is rendered almost unlistenable for the botched nature of the recording.

Throughout every track (and made even more of a problem in the bonus material) the musicians and their performances are filtered into something muddy, unclear and gross. Mostly instrumental, the instruments are mixed poorly, favoring deep bass sounds which mask any of the potential details and nuances in any member's performance. Even for the vocals of Gramond himself, I didn't even notice the first time through listening that he had started singing; the voice was simply drowned out by the ferocious mix.

This is very unfortunate, because it is clear (from what I can hear and make out) that the Sébastien Gramond Trio is quite skilled and well versed with performances. Unless Gramond ever invests in a live album that sounds clear and suitable, the only way to get the effect of a show will be to simply go to one.