AMG Review of Best of Sessions at West 54th, Vol. 1

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

All 13 songs on this compilation were recorded in 1997 and 1998 during the first two seasons of the live public television concert series #Sessions at West 54th. It leans heavily on singer/songwriters, including tracks by Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, Sinead O'Connor, Lou Reed, Suzanne Vega, Natalie Merchant, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow, and Emmylou Harris. As a bit of variety from that format, there's a cut from country-rock-pop crossover artists the Mavericks; a duet between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach on "Painted from Memory"; and slightly experimental techno-funk-rock by David Byrne on "I Zimbra." Like the series itself, this anthology is recommended for mainstream rock fans with more adventurous tastes than most mainstream rock fans.