AMG Review of Bottom Line Encore Collection

Denise Sullivan
All Music Guide

A showcase for her virtuoso guitar playing, with some interesting interview segments (though it would be debatable how many times one would need to play those back), this is a trip through Ian's back pages and is her first ever live album available in the U.S. (recorded at New York's Bottom Line in 1980). Accompanied by a crack, three piece who can alternate among bass, fiddle, guitar and keyboards, the highlights are when Ian approaches the piano ("In the Winter") or takes on her most famous numbers, "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child" with only her acoustic guitar. The disc makes a great case for what the world's missed since Ian retreated from the performing spotlight.