Huey Lewis & The News - Live at 25
The News is all good as Huey Lewis and his band take the stage onLive at 25, a concert performance (plus bonus tracks) marking their two and a half decades on the pop music scene. Filmed in December, 2004 at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, CA, the show finds Lewis in arguably better form than during his '80s heyday. The sound and visuals are first rate (compare this concert to the bonus performances from '85 and '87, which are by no means bad but which pale in comparison to the '04 show's digital audio and picture), Lewis' raspy voice is still strong, and the band is tight, energetic, and clearly loving being onstage. And lest one forget just how popular Lewis once was, the hits keep on comin' throughout this 90-minute show: "I Want a New Drug," "If This Is It," "Heart and Soul," "Power of Love," "Hip to be Square," and "The Heart of Rock & Roll" are every bit as infectious as they were the first time around. The Huey Lewis sound is essentially R&B; of the type that Stax Records used to turn out, with plenty of screaming guitar solos to add a rock counterpoint to the Memphis-style horn section. But even if this music won't satisfy your soul quite the way, say, Otis Redding does, the energy never flags, and this unpretentious, honest, thoroughly entertaining performance is sure to liven up anyone's Saturday night.--Sam Graham