Brilliant Live Music (Radio 1's Live Lounge - Volume 3)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Radio 1's Live Lounge - Volume 3
Date:	02/03/09 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great selection of live performances

Disadvantages: Some I wasn't too keen on

One of the most interesting and entertaining events in the music industry as a whole for me is Radio 1's Live Lounge. It takes artists out of their comfort zones and gives them some freedom to choose a track and cover it. While this is done on a regular basis with artists in general who cover a track for general release, the Live Lounge tends to be more current and a great blend of music, whereas released covers are more studio produced. What makes the Live Lounge stand out is the gig feel to it as the artists perform live.

Artists also have the chance to showcase their own music in the Live Lounge as well, and this is often just as good as the covers. The first disc of the third Live Lounge compilation to be released has a nice blend of music, starting off with Duffy's Mercy, which sounds as controlled and studio-made live as it does in the actual recording booth - a tribute to her voice, no doubt. I loved Dizzee Rascal's upbeat and catchy version of That's Not My Name, and curiously, Sam Sparro covering Estelle's American Boy worked very well. Also surprisingly good was Girls Aloud doing With Every Heartbeat, and the Foo Fighters performing Keep The Car Running was as good as you would expect from them. Not so much of a fan of REM covering Munich or The Hoosiers giving us Love Stoned, but Elliot Minor doing Take That's Rule The World was interesting indeed.

The second disc picks up well, too. Adele's performance of her own hit, Chasing Pavements, is good, although not as good as she usually is live. Scouting For Girls' Elvis Ain't Dead is still brilliant, and I'm really loving the way Elbow perform, either live or in the studio, and One Day Like This is done very well. Black & Gold, a hit for Sam Sparro, get the Guillemots treatment - not sure if I liked this one or not, but the disc ends with a 3 track belter. Ne-Yo's Closer, Rihanna's Hate That I Love You and Estelle's American Boy - all excellently done live, and very emotionally performed, too. Excellent stuff.

Overall, this is a very good double album compilation from the Live Lounge. I highly enjoy listening to the Live Lounge when I get a chance, and it is nice to be able to get a CD with some of the best performances on it as well. Sure, there are some tracks that I didn't particularly like, but I think this comes down to personal taste as opposed to anything else, and is merely indicative of the wide range of musical performances the Live Lounge receives. Radio 1's Live Lounge Volume 3 is currently available from amazon.co.uk for around the £7 mark, depending on whether you want a brand new copy or a used one. Recommended!

Summary: Overall, a great compilation from the Live Lounge