Search - Josh Ritter :: In the Dark - Live At Vicar Street

Captures the raw energy of the tour

Tim Cupery | Tar Heel country | 06/06/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ritter's Historical Conquests album contained more let-it-all-hang-out rock-and-roll than his previous records, which came through in a rollickingly fun live show. Josh has always given fun live shows, with some high-energy songs (e.g., Lillian, Egypt), but the Historical Conquests tour had a higher proportion of such songs, with more electrified rock sound as well. I own a few live albums from previous tours but was wishing for a quality recording from the Historical Conquests era, and this captures the feel of being there in-person to the extent that a live recording can. The guitars are more gritty than on the studio album, you can hear the laughter in Josh's voice every now and then (just at how fun this performing thing seems to be for him), and you get the energy of an excited audience singing along. The two ballads are more stripped-down but also more raw and intense (especially The Temptation of Adam) than the original studio recordings. For those who had the pleasure of seeing the Historical Conquests tour, this album provides some re-living, and for those who didn't, this record will give a reasonably good idea of what it felt like to be there."