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Nils Lofgren UK2015 Face the Music Tour Review by Gary Hill Nils Lofgren is probably best known for his guitar work with Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band. I’ve always admired that band, despite the fact that I’m one of the four or five people in the developed world who just plain can’t stand Springsteen’s music. I even like some of the songs he writes. I just don’t like them when he performs them. All that said, I dig Nils Lofgren. This live album captures an intimate, yet really well developed performance. It’s just Lofgren and Greg Varlotta performing here. This is a wide range of sounds heard on the disc, with all of it chalking up as pure quality stuff. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2016 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Too Many Miles This is pretty, intricate and very gentle for the first three minutes or so. Harp is the central instrument in this segment. Then piano after a count-in brings it into some killer bluesy sounds. This is classy stuff for sure.

New Holes In Old Shoes Here we get a cut that’s closer to an acoustic blues stomper. It’s another strong piece of music.

Lost a Number A mellower cut, this is pretty. It’s rather sad in some ways.

Walkin' Nerve Acoustic blues and jazz merge on this high energy stomper. It’s a classy tune with the trumpet adding a lot to it. This is one of my favorite cuts here.

Miss You "C" The “C” in this song is Clarence Clemmons. This is basically a folk styled tune. It’s about loss and the process of going on after a friend passes.

Girl In Motion Here we get an acoustic rocker. It has an extensive instrumental section built into it. That movement really works well.

I Don't Want To Talk About It This acoustic based ballad is very folk like in style. It’s a strong cut with a lot of emotion built into it.

Rusty Gun An old school Country and Western element (with a Latin edge) is built into this. It’s another winner and has some great guitar soloing. It feels like something from a spaghetti western.

Black Books This is another ballad-like tune. It has a cool instrumental segment later in the track, and is a song about a cheating woman bringing tears to more eyes.

Goin' Back Although this is more or less a ballad, it’s quite complex and powerful. It’s quite an intriguing number, really.

The Sun Hasn't Set A bouncy kind of number, this is a catchy one that’s fun.

Like Rain This starts mellower, but works out to a real rocking mode as it continues. It’s acoustic based, but really an energized tune.

Mud In Your Eye I love the percussive elements here. This is bouncy kind of tune that’s among the best songs here.

No Mercy I really like this acoustic rocker a lot. It has a lot of energy and some great hooks. It’s one of the best tunes here, really.

Shine Silently One of the most fully arranged and rocking tunes on the disc, this is really a powerhouse number. It’s another of my favorites here. That makes it a great choice for closing things out, really.

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