In their native country Enuff Z'Nuff never achieved the success they deserve, but they always had a loyal following in
Europe and decent success in Japan.
The last years have been sorely tried for Enuff Z'Nuff plus their fans with lots of backstabbing and scandals. However, if we let the music do the talking Enuff Z'Nuff's latest album "Dissonance" was one of their finest efforts and this live recording sees the band supporting the record. The concert is recorded at the 1300 capacity Club Citta in Kawasaki July 11 2009 and also celebrates the 20
th anniversary of Enuff Z'Nuff as recording artists.
Since it's an anniversary you expect the 2-hour show to span over the entire Enuff Z'Nuff career. The setlist does that, but since
Enuff Znuff has made so many great albums Chip and Donnie manage to make a tasty setlist despite overlooking "1985", "Paraphernalia", "Seven" and "?". The band is in good shape and plays great despite several mistakes like Tory playing the opening riff to
Kitty on the intro to
We're All Allrigt. The rhythm section of Tory Stoffregen and Randi Scott seems to have provided Chip and Donnie with a solid foundation.
For the "Dissonance" tour
Donnie Vie decided to focus all his energy on being a frontman and quit playing rhythm guitar. Chip Z'Nuff plays a 12 string bass, which add lots of body to the sound but I do miss the extra guitar. Even though
Donnie Vie should focus on being a frontman his performance is almost too loose, forgetting some lyrics and sometimes it sounds like he doesn't sing directly in the microphone and comes off mumbling.
The performance is loose and everyone who has experienced
Enuff Z'nuff in concert will recognize that. The highlights are the 2 songs aired from "Dissonance",
Kitty and closer
Love Train mainly because it is the first time I ever heard Enuff Z'Nuff play that song live.
There is a acoustic singalong for
Right By Side and
Time to Let you Go plus a fan request for
Blue island. Those 3 songs are performed stripped down and it just bothers me that the guitar is a clean electric instead of an acoustic. Before the final song
Love Train Chip says that they will do an acoustic set afterwards and that sure would have been a nice treat on this live disc.
This is not a perfect live performance and certainly not the best I have heard Enuff Z'Nuff. However, the band is real and for the last 20 years they have provided the fans with unique songs, drama and sadly the death of Derek Frigo and Ricky Parent.
The bilious reviewer would rate this album a 5/10 while the fans would rate it 8/10. I am both a fan and rock critic so the unbiased grade probably is somewhere between those two.
Written by
Michael Monday, November 1, 2010
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