Vanessa Carlton released her album Liberman a year ago and since then she’s spent some of that time touring to support it. She just released a new album, Liberman Live, with live versions of all the songs from Liberman except one. “Ascension” was left off but in it’s place she put a live version of one of her biggest singles “A Thousand Miles”. In my gay opinion, Liberman Live captures all the beauty of the original album with the essence of a Vanessa performance.
I was lucky enough to see Vanessa on this tour and Liberman Live brought me back to those amazing shows. A violin is the only backing to Vanessa’s glowing vocals and pristine piano playing. After each song there’s applause and a “thank you” but missing is some of the banter between songs, how they came to be or some personal tidbit of life on the road. The songs must be compiled from different stops along the way; lacking is the aura of a continuous show.
However, Liberman Live is definitely an album for any fan of Vanessa’s or of the original album. The songs on Liberman are reworked enough that they feel fresh and new while holding on to their original vibe. For those who missed Vanessa on tour, this is the next best thing. However, if she comes around definitely check her out, she doesn’t disappoint.
