Laurie Anderson

This live concert recording took place in New York, 2001, days after the cataclysmic events of September 11. Despite the pall cast over the city, which Anderson, a New Yorker herself, discusses in her performance, she manages to win the audience over from their angst with wit, winsome charm and music. Given the references to New York City in songs like "Washington Street," lyrics have all the more poignancy and heightened emotional impact. Live, Anderson had a great band backing her up as she performed vignette monologues, selections from her latest album, Life on a String, as well as earlier favourites like "O Superman" and "Strange Angels." Listening to Anderson sing and tell stories leaves the impression of being taken into her personal confidence, as she relates her intimate, imaginative and often quirky thoughts - very much the winsome hostess at a vast party. The laughter and frequent applause from the audience offers a warm dimension to the CD and is a testament to Anderson's ability to take the listener away from their suffering, if for a moment.