Acoustic Live
This may read like faint praise, but it's not: Nils Lofgren is one of rock & roll's esteemed journeymen. Though championed as a phenom when he emerged with his bandGrinin the early '70s (he'd already played onNeil Young's classicAfter the Gold Rushwhen he was 19), stardom stubbornly eluded the gifted vocalist/instrumentalist/songwriter as a bandleader and later as a solo artist. Lofgren, however, proved over time to be a splendid lieutenant for some of the leading lights of the '70s and '80s, including Young,Lou Reed, andBruce Springsteen. He also kept plugging away as a frontman, with relatively little notice.Acoustic Liveserves as a nifty career summary for the artist, who recorded this set in 1997, nearly three decades into his recording career. Lofgren sounds anything but drained here as he heartily revisits longtime set staples such as "Keith Don't Go," "Big Tears Fall," and "No Mercy" while mixing in a half-dozen fresh compositions.--Steven Stolder