Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Live From Daryl's House


If you've known me for a long time, you'll know that one of my favorite recording artists is Daryl Hall, of Hall & Oates fame. So get your horrific hair and shoulder pads jokes out of the way, as well as the awful music videos. I realize it's hard to think of H&O without thinking of all of the excess and bad taste that reigned in the 80s. However, once you get past that, Hall & Oates have delivered a large volume of quality music from the 70s to arguably, right now.

Daryl Hall possesses one of the most soulful voices in pop music, one that has gained more texture and character as he gets older. While he can't hit the high notes as easily as he did in the 80s on songs like 'One on One', Hall's range and interpretative skills make listening a more personal and lasting experience.

Late last year, Hall embarked on an interesting new journey, recording and posting a live concert recorded in his home with friends, every month. 'Live from Daryl's House' features almost an hour of in home jamming with Hall, long time bass player T-Bone Wolk ( who played on Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks") and various members of his touring band. As a H&O fan, it's a great time for me, hearing different arrangements of some of my favorite songs. If you're not especially down with Hall & Oates, it's still worth sampling a new way of checking out music on the web. The format is structured, but still feels loose and Hall is obviously having a great time just playing with his friends.

Personally, I relish the opportunity to hear real musicians play for the sake of the love of music, with no props or lip synching. The web address is: . The latest edition was posted today and features the original reggae arrangement of 'Maneater'. It's an even cooler version.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well said. Daryl Hall and John Oates have created a large catalog of memorable songs that span over 35 years. The "Live From Daryl's House" webcast and H&O's live performances show that they're great musicians and still "do it for love."