James McMurtry / Live In Europe

James McMurtry's latest recording, "Live In Europe", finds the Heartless Bastards in fine form. There is no doubt McMurtry is one of the finest truest songwriters of his generation and this live disc allows his often underappreciated guitar work to shine. As good as the music gets, as hard as the band rocks, it is the words that reverberate long after the disc ends. "I don't want another drink, I only want that last one again" (Hurricane Party) or "She never shaved like they all do now" (Ruby and Carlos) are just two examples of his ability to pen lyrics that ring true. As much as I enjoyed the disc, at just over 40 minutes, it left me wanting more. The disc does come with a six track bonus DVD repeating two tracks from the CD. The DVD is worth a watch especially if you've never seen James live but in the long run I'd have been happier if the CD had been fleshed out with the live versions of "Choctaw Bingo", "We Can't Make It Here", "Too Long in the Wasteland" and special guest Jon Dee Graham's "Laredo".
As good as "Live in Europe" is I'd recommend picking up "Live in Aught-Three" as a companion piece (remember those old double live albums?) for a more complete look at the music of James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards.