Tommy Emmanuel – Center Stage

Tommy Emmanuel – Center Stage / 2008 Favored Nations / 24 Tracks / http://www.tommyemmanuel.com /

Tommy is from Australia. Furthermore, ey is a two-time Grammy nominee. “Center Stage” is a live album, and was recorded at the Sierra Nevada Brewery (Chico, CA). While individuals may not be familiar with the solo recordings of an Emmanuel, ey cut eir teeth in the John Farnham band. If one can remember back to 2000, ey also performed at the closing ceremonies at that year’s Summer Olympics. Over the last 30 years, Emmanuel has released over 20 albums. So, ey has a tremendous amount of material with which to work, and which individuals necessary expect from a live show. This show starts out with “The Finger Lakes”, a newer song, and finishes up with “Questions” (a classic cut from 2000’s “Only”). A number of other releases are revisited during this lengthy concert.  The work of Emmanuel is bolstered throughout a number of tracks by the masterful work of harmonica player Bob Littell, and the presence of some tracks will be exciting to those that have not had the chance to see or hear Emmanuel live at some point. This means that there is a version of “Ruby’s Eyes” that will tattoo itself into the minds and hearts of anyone that may be listening in.

Emmanuel works at a high enough level that individuals that may not typically like the intricate, nuanced style of rock that ey plays will still be able to give Emmanuel the props that ey deserves. A lot of time, when it comes to Emmanuel’s music, it is not the music present that is the most impressive thing on the disc. Rather, it is the arrangements that constitute the music, which are likely the most dense and detailed that individuals will  have had the chance to hear.

For individuals that liked the performance but felt that it was missing something, there are already plans in place to release the whole concert in a video format, adding some other nuggets (featurettes, interviews) to the resulting DVD. That is likely to come out in the next few months. If you are a fan of Emmanuel, make sure to pick up this album. It will provide the material that you need to continue waiting for Emmanuel’s newest album. However, for individuals that want a more current greatest hits, “Center Stage” provides individuals with some sense of Emmanuel’s most key works over the years.

Top Tracks: Nine Pound Hammer, Tall Fiddler

Rating: 7.1/10