FULL REVIEW HERE

The combination of country and soul that characterises Phantom Limb’s sound is as smooth and chilled as an iced measure of Johnnie Walker; it’s perfect to put on while unwinding at home.  So the medium of the live album, which for most artists tends to be a rawer experience , might not show them in their best light.  But this recording of their hometown gig at Bristol’s Colston Hall is an unlikely success.  The excellent production contributes to this in no small way, but it’s Yolanda Quartey’s vocals that really shine here.  In fact, even if the album had been recorded using a mobile phone and the backing band had played nothing but angry power chords on untuned instruments, her singing alone would have made it a wonderfully languorous record.  The setlist is made up of a mixture of tracks from Phantom Limb’s first album, new songs that are likely to feature on its forthcoming follow-up, and a nicely executed cover of Hank Williams’ ‘Angel Of Death’.  With only eight tracks performed, it’s a short set, but as a stopgap between Phantom Limb’s albums and a sampler of their new material, this record more than suffices.