AMG Review of Live at Billy Bob's Texas

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

Like all of the entries in the Live at Billy Bob's Texas series, this does not divulge the date of recording, but one can reasonably assume it's from a show not long before the CD's mid-2000 release. Clark is still an excellent, fast-as-anyone guitar picker, as heard on this set's instrumentals. Those instrumentals cover a lot of ground, too: the jazz standard "Caravan," "Riders in the Sky," the bluegrass perennials "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Dueling Banjos," "Malaguena," "El Cumbanchero," and (least successfully) "Lara's Theme." He still sings, too -- unfortunately, one could say, given both the lesser material he applies his vocals to and the good-natured but limited, gruff tone of his voice. The overall effect is a bit schizophrenic, if fairly typical of all-around shows that some country stars like to give. Pretty hillbilly-sounding instrumentals are interspersed with sentimental, drippy MOR country ballads like "Love Takes Two" and "Yesterday When I Was Young," though the corny, satirical "Thank God and Greyhound" breaks up that mood a bit. The audience eats it up, though, and also responds favorably to his mildly amusing stage announcements. Too bad the band, which plays pretty well, includes an ill-chosen synthesizer (though that instrument isn't extremely prominent).