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The opening, sixteen minute plus, “Vibration & Light Suite” on the Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s (CRB’s) latest release is representative of the band’s style and sound; clean meandering guitar lines, soaring harmonies, soulful vocals and just the right amount of weird. One of the benefits of recent technological advances is that live music is more accessible than ever. But while we’re a long way from sixth generation TDK traded tapes, even today the quantity of live releases does not always equate to quality sounding recordings.
Not so on Betty’s Blends, Volume Two: Best from the Westwhich is the second Chris Robinson Brotherhood release mixed live by legendary Grateful Dead archivist Betty Cantor-Jackson. On “Rosalee” with recording studio clarity she captures guitarist Neal Casal’s journeying guitar notes, Robinson’s story-telling, and keyboardist Adam MacDougall’s psychedelic accents. Since removed drummer George Sluppic keeps the music from spinning completely off its axis into the ethos. The album features live versions of songs from the band’s three studio releases: “Rosalee” from the debut, Big Moon Ritual, “Vibration & Light Suite” from The Magic Door and “Shore Power” and “Burn Slow” from the underrated, largely overlooked Phosphorescent Harvest.
“This edition has a second set kind of vibe. There are some tunes with experimental spaces and some with a very different feel from slamming rock to majestic and soulful ballads,” explains Cantor-Jackson in a press release. “The CRB are inventive, expressive and poetic. They hit so many notes that bring such delight. This is the joy I want to preserve. It’s the here and now of the moment. Nobody gets to fix it later. It’s already history.”
With the songs being individually selected from a 2014 summer swing of the western U.S., the album does not necessarily represent the ebb and flow of the band’s concert performances. The individual tunes, particularly covers of the Grateful Dead’s, “They Love Each Other” and Tom Rush’s masterpiece, “Driving Wheel” do capture the live psychedelic tinged sonic sound. Making each song their own CRB captures the bliss of true love in the former and the absolute longing and heartache of disappointment in the latter.
Betty’s Blends, Vol. Two has been issued on Robinson’s own label imprint, Silver Arrow Records, as a limited edition release with only 2000 2-LP sets, 2000 CDs and 2000 downloads available. As such the album is more for the band’s aficionados then the casual listener.
