‘Live From Iraq’ – now let’s be honest, there can’t be many artists who can boast an album with a title as striking as that! Maybe it lacks the ring of ‘Live from Madison Square Gardens’ or ‘Live from Wembley Stadium’ but I’m sure Johnny Cash’s seminal ‘Live From Fulsom Prison’ met with the same quizzical reaction way back then.
Now, before there are any self-righteous, indignant hands thrown up in the air, please let’s be clear that this album is in no way seeking to either comment on, or endorse the War in Iraq.
Invited to take her individual blend of blues, rock and country music to troops stationed so far from home and deprived of any meaningful entertainment, Nell and her new-found band played fifteen shows over a ten day period at various Forward Operating Bases. This is a musical record of that trip.
So: while Nell’s debut album, ‘Second Time Around,’ which was released towards the end of 2008 was excellent in its own right and drew me away from my usual diet of punk and artrock, this ‘Live In Iraq’ album even betters the earlier offering. There is, I think a more ‘bluesy’ and ‘soulful’ feel to this eclectic mix of ten songs, four of which are Nell’s own compositions; three that would fall into the ‘classic blues’ category and the remaining three are simply just timeless classics.
It opens with the upbeat Grateful Dead number, ‘I Know You Rider’ and features some impressive guitar pickin’ from Eric Lindberg, who along with bassist Mark Stewart and drummer Bryan Bisordi had only a matter of days to rehearse with Nell before the tour. You would never tell from this track that is as tight as it is fast. It’s Country / Southern Rock in the best tradition of The Outlaws, The Allman Brothers and ….. well yes The Grateful Dead!
‘Tonight’ was written by Nell and is lifted from the earlier album. It has a rather ‘retro’ even ‘schmaltzy’ feel to it, with great sing-a-long potential. ‘Forty Days and Forty Nights’ is a Muddy Waters classic. Nell’s voice is so strong and powerful on this track whilst the band is again right on the money with their backing. ‘What Does It Take,’ is another of Nell’s own compositions. Falling directly into neither the Blues nor Country camps, this pacey song does have a feel of the ‘Ghost Riders In The Sky’ about it.
Safe in the knowledge that there would be troops from America’s Deep South in the audience, Nell and her band rehearsed the Lynryd Skynyrd classic, ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ and performed it to perfection. You know, sometimes such revered songs just should not be attempted for fear of falling way short of the original and spoiling the memory of a great song. However, I can honestly say (as a Skynyrd fan myself) that Nell’s voice perfectly lends itself to a strong delivery and that little bit of Country inflection almost makes this song one of her own.
‘Second Time Around’ is the upbeat foot-tapping recent single that brought Nell’s music to a wider radio audience. Again, there is some fast and furious guitar-picking going on over he top of steam-train sounding drums. A cover of The Animals’ ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ follows before the most laid back track on the album, and another of Nell’s compositions, ‘Meridian.’ I guess this was a song inserted into the set to give the troops some time for personal reflection and turn their thoughts homewards.
An excellent cover of the Elvis Pressley song ‘That’s Alright Mama,’ brings the mood back to an exuberant level before the album ends with the rather downbeat but none-the-less brilliant, Robert Johnson classic blues number, ‘Hellhound On My Trail.’
Perhaps it’s the knowledge of the context in which this album was performed – in blisteringly hot and dusty desert conditions – that help give it a sense of realism. It has a true ‘earthy’ sound and feel. Throughout, Nell’s voice remains as powerful as it is versatile and her vocal range is so impressive. It’s very easy to dismiss Country / Blues music as dated, but really it is as relevant today as ever, with so much current music growing from such roots. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it – you may just be pleasantly surprised.