“This album stands for a time when music wasn’t doctored and perfected – it’s 100 percent real,” says singer-songwriter Libby Lavella of her new disc, Live at Largo: Bootlegs. “It’s raw and spontaneous, just the musicians and the audience in a room. That’s hard to find these days, and I’m proud of it.”
Live at Largo features three originals by the Australia-born, Los Angeles-based artist. But the bulk of the set is devoted to spirited renditions (and some radical reinterpretations) of songs that have influenced her over the course of her career. These include stone classics like Willie Nelson’s “Crazy” (first popularized by Patsy Cline), Roy Orbison’s “Crying’” and “I Only Want to Be With You” (made famous by Dusty Springfield), as well as such latter-day pop gems as Split Enz’s “I Got You,” Edie Brickell’s “More Than Friends,” Men at Work’s “Overkill,” “Under the Milky Way” by the Church and Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” The result is a high-wire showcase for Lavella’s lovely pipes, confident phrasing and emotional delivery – with cheers, laughter and the occasional mid-song “Yeah!” from the crowd. (written by Simon Glickman)