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Crystal Bowersox and her superb band recorded her new album Alive live in a studio with a small audience, so the sound is crisp and clear but the vibe is alive. Most written or co-written by Bowersox, the songs cover a modest variety of stylistic ground, with solid if not spectacular songwriting blues and soul, folk-pop ( StayCation ) , folk-Americana ( Marlboro Man, Arlene ) but her gutsy-velvety vocals and smooth melodicism tie it all together. There s a little Ruthie Foster, a little Alison Krauss, a little Joan Osborne and of course Janis Joplin in the final and inevitable Me and Bobby McGee (titled here as just Bobby McGee ) , in which Bowersox pulls off the neat trick of doing Joplin s version without slavishly copying. However, there s more country and folk-pop here, and more slow tempos, than the first two tracks might lead you to expect. The Ride is a rock-soul-blues concoction, Sunshine Brighter a retro- 70s confection laced with harmonica and organ. But beginning with StayCation, which combines a sunny, dancing hook with quotes from Bob Marley and Steve Miller, the sound grows less bluesy, settling, with Broken Wing, into a string of Americana ballads. The sad simplicity of Let Me Walk Away, the best of the ballads, sounds like John Prine-style country-folk. I m reminded, conceptually anyway, of Bonnie Raitt s hit cover of Prine s Angel from Montgomery. But by the time Track 11, Dead Weight, arrives, I ve grown a little tired of the dominance of mid-to-slow-tempos. The arrangements do build excitement into each song Dead Weight in fact swells into a pounding 6/8 Ball and Chain storm but not always enough. And I find myself wishing she d cut loose vocally more, as she does in the thrilling penultimate track Until Then. Alive is a happy listen as a whole, and it sounds like it comes from the heart and the (collective) brain of a band whose members know how to listen to one another as well as their front woman. Unlike many of her fellow American Idol alums, Bowersox goes her own way. You were no mistake, you were meant to be, she sings in the catchy No Mistake I was wide awake when love delivered you to me. Wide awake for sure, she s a real artist, not a commercial construct, TV pedigree or no. She even wrote a song, Arlene, for an American Idol tour bus driver she got to know. What could be more real than that? Since then, it s been out here in the real world where you ll find her, singing real songs for real people with a real voice live and alive. --Blogcritics.orgCrystal Bowersox Alive Reviewed by: Lauren Rosier About seven years ago, singer/songwriter, Crystal Bowersox, was a the runner-up on season 9 of the hit reality show, American Idol. After a few record label changes, Bowersox signed with Shanachie Records in 2012. Now her latest release, Alive, is a collection of work recorded live. On The Ride, Bowersox introduces you to her bluesy, rootsy voice as well as her ability to take words, turn them into lyrics, and develop a story. She sings about a man who doesn t want a new wife who still can t find the last one and how she doesn t give a damn/what kind of saddle he s on/ cause you can t judge a man/by leather or chrome/I m going to ride along with him... Bowersox shows her musicianship on The Ride through her ability to blend genres of blues, folk, Americana, and roots and pair those influences with her songwriting. The lyricism of A Broken Wing is relatable to everyone going through trying times in life and it s songs like these that can provide comfort to those trying to find beauty in the burden and realizing that even on the darkest days/but right now/even though my heart is hurting/all is as it should be/and everything will be alright... It s almost like she strategically reveals her layers with each song. The tenderness and contemporary country vibe of He Calls Me Angel illustrates the human in all of us and how comforting it is to have that significant person in your life that you can always count on to be on your side. If there s any song on Alive that really gets at your heartstrings, it s No Mistake. Bowersox sings how can a man not call his son/on Christmas Eve/skip six birthdays in a row/you can t put a band-aid/on that bloody knee/well, I can still hear children laughing/from the playground/across the street/here s 1700 dollars/just take care of it... She sings to her son you were no mistake/you were meant to be here/I was wide awake/when love delivered you to me/everyday you save me/you re the greatest gift God ever gave me/you were no mistake. One of the tracks that stood out to me was Dead Weight. Since this record was recorded live, on this track she gives you sneak peek of what one of her live performances is like, and there s no way you can deny the artistry and musicianship of Bowersox after listening to this song. From front to back, Alive is a beautiful collection of songs that illustrate life as it is, and celebrates being alive. One of the most crucial aspects of being a musician is being able to emotionally connect with your audience. With Alive, Crystal Bowersox has achieved the epitome of what music is about, something that you can only find in artists that truly understand the power of music. Rating: Bad-Ass --ThatMusicMag.com