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Nell'Aprile del 2006 tornano sulle scene i Live, rock band proveniente da York (Pennsylvania), e lo fanno a tre anni di distanza dalla loro precedente release, 'Birds Of Pray'. L'intento principale che il guppo si ripropone con questo full lenght sembra essere quello di riavvicinarsi alle radici del loro sound, che ormai dai tempi di 'The Distance To Here', del lontano 1999, era stato un pò accantonato e messo da parte, soffocato dalle voglie della band di virare verso lidi più mainstream e dal maggiore appeal commerciale.
Nonostante l'apertura sia affidata all'orecchiabile, ma fin troppo radio oriented 'The River', per fortuna si incontrano anche pezzi, come l'iniziale 'Mystery', o 'Sofia', dove, grazie a i testi enigmatici e profondi e all'intensità del canto del singer Ed Kowalczyk, si respirano ancora, a 15 anni dal debutto 'Mental Jewelry', la stessa enfasi e la stessa passione che impregnavano canzoni come 'All Over You', 'Lightning Crashes', 'Pillar Of Davidson', 'Hold Me Up', o 'Turn My Head', che mi avevano colpito e fatto innamorare di questa band. Anche brani quali la pacifista 'Home', l'appassionata 'Wings' e le più rock oriented 'Show' e 'Night Of Nights' si lasciano apprezzare per la bontà e la qualità del songwriting, seppur perdano un pò in mordente ed intensità se confrontate con gli episodi più datati della band.
Purtroppo però, accanto a questi esempi comunque riusciti troviamo songs assolutamente scialbe e prive di idee, come 'You're Not Alone', 'All I Need', o 'Where Do We Go From Here ?'; e tra questi estremi ballads o semi-ballad come 'Get Ready', o 'Love Shines', dove la vena davvero troppo easy listening rende difficile vedere dietro una band come i Live, anche se quantomeno 'Love Shines' riesce a farsi apprezzare per la passione ed il trasporto con cui il singer riprende le tematiche, riguardanti spiritualità, religione e famiglia, che avevano contraddistinto quella che forse è stata l'ultima grande canzone della band, 'Heaven', dal precedente album.
'Songs From Black Mountain' alla fine si rivela essere un disco senza infamia e senza lode, penalizzato oltremodo da una produzione e da un'attitudine davvero troppo soft. Disco che sarà anche l'ultima fatica in studio della band, che dopo la pubblicazione nel 2008 dell'album dal vivo 'Live At The Paradiso' dichiarerà prima, nell'estate del 2009, una pausa di due anni, che verrà poi rettificata nello scioglimento definitivo ormai un anno fà.
Purtroppo, quel sogno iniziato nella lunga estate americana del '94 sulle note di 'Selling The Drama' si infrangerà nel modo più amaro, nelle aule di un tribunale, con una causa ancora in corso che vede il resto della band contro il singer Ed Kowalczyk, per via di un 'lead singer bonus' da lui preteso all'insaputa degli altri durante un'esibizione al Pink Pop Festival del 2009; e di un contratto pubblicitario segreto da lui presumibilmente firmato nel 2005, con l'intento di escludere i compagni da introiti futuri. Dalle costole dei Live nasceranno i 'The Gracious Few', formati dagli ex Live Chad Gracey, Chad Taylor e Pat Dalheimer, più i due Candlebox Kevin Martin (alla voce) e Sean Hennesy (alla ritmica); mentre Ed Kowalczyk deciderà di intraprendere la carriera solista che lo porterà, nel 2010, alla pubblicazione del suo primo album, quell' 'Alive' che cerca disperatamente di rimanere aggrappato e di tenere ancora in vita il ricordo e le sonorità della sua band d'origine, salvandole dalla dimenticanza e dall'inesorabile prova del tempo.
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02 Mystery (03:45)
My ammunition won't load into my gun
My inhibitions, they fall like the weight from a stone
You lead my heart away like a homeless, dusted fool
Somehow this dime store ring still shines like a diamond to you
Oh, how it deepens
Oh, how it deepens
Your mystery
Keeps on turnin' me on
Your mystery
Thought I knew the rules, thought I held it in my hand
Thought I was bulletproof till the blood pooled up in the sand
Are you a satellite, a shooting star or a dove?
Did we put you way up there or did God send you down from above?
Oh, how it deepens
Oh, how it deepens
Your mystery
Keeps on turnin' me on
Your mystery
Burns me up like the sun
Your mystery
Mine eyes have seen the glory of a love that does transcend
Mine eyes have seen the worst inside of man
And fear is like a fallen bridge broken from an edge
And the proof is in the bloodshot eyes of the one who failed to see
Your mystery
Keeps on turnin' me on
Your mystery
Burns me up like the sun
Your mystery
Keeps on turnin' me on
Your mystery
Burns me up like the sun
Your mystery
03 Get Ready (03:32)
Come on, get ready
This is the spring of our love
Come on, get ready
Feels like it's ordained from above
We have the power
To do what we came to do
This is the hour
The sun is shining on you
The future is now
The past is gone forever
We can come together
The light is our way
The future is now
The past is gone forever
We belong together
Get ready
Come on, get ready
The beach is washing away
Come on, get ready
The high tide of our love is here to stay
We will have the power
To do the good and the true
This is the hour
The whole world is waiting for you
The future is now
The past is gone forever
We can come together
The light is our way
The future is now
The past is gone forever
We belong together
Get ready
Get ready
Get ready
The future is now
The past is gone forever
We can come together
The light is our way
The future is now
The past is gone forever
We can come together
The light is our way
The future is now
The past is gone forever
We belong together
Get ready
Get ready
Get ready
Get ready
04 Show (03:24)
This love has taken a turn
My maps are no good now
I'm lost in these woods
I say, Black Mountain show me your face
Bring on the oblivion of your sweet embrace
I say, this love has taken a turn
Where we go now, I can't wait to learn
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
I'll show you free tonight
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
You are my diamond of grace
Angelic little devil of the most secret space
I say, there ain't no one quite like you, girl
You save your nectar for the wise
While you smile at the world
I say, you make me laugh at myself
You take me straight to Heaven
By going straight through Hell
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
I'll show you free tonight
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
I'll show you free tonight
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
Free, yeah
If you want to walk with me
Then leave that false innocense behind
If you want to know me tonight
Then drag me to the river and hold me tight
If you want to love like a god
You got to bleed like a god
You got to fight like a god
Let go of who you are
Cling to me now
Cling to me now
Here we go
Here we go, yeah
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
I'll show you free tonight
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
I'll show you free tonight
Show a little love to me
Show a little love to me
Darlin', I'll show you free
Yeah, I'll show you free
Show a little love to me
Show a little love
Show a little love to me
05 Wings (03:51)
The way I'm on your mind, like a ball and chain
Like a destiny to run from
Division in your soul (in your soul), keepin' you from whole
I can bare to see you crying
The wing that lays on your shoulders
Could be the wings that carry you home
Sometimes you've got to die to be born again
Sometimes you've got to fight
Sometimes you've got to learn
Sometimes you've got to burn
The old brush out so the new can grow
The wing that lays on your shoulders
Could be the wings that carry you home
Yeah, come on
Could be the wings
Could be the wings (carry you home)
Could be the wings (oh)
Could be the wings (carry you home)
Like to long, lost friend?
Like to love, lost friend?
Like it too long, lost friend?
The wing that lays on your shoulders
Could be the wings that carry you home (carry you home)
Come on, come on
Could be the wings
Could be the wings (lord above)
Could be the wings (oh yeah)
Could be the wings (carry you home)
Could be the wings
Could be the wings (carry you home)
Could be the wings
Could be the wings (carry you home)
06 Sofia (03:54)
Diamonds and pearls don't move this girl
She can be icy cold to the crawl
One of her lungs breathes in another world
While the other sticks around to blow you off
Even when the four winds blow
She kinda passes by like she don't feel it
No, momma, she don't feel it
One of these days I'm gonna dive into her waves
And bring back the meaning of it all
Sofia, I need ya
Like a junkie needs a vein
And I wanna feel ya, Sofia
Fallin' down on me like rain
They say in ancient times, man, that women ruled the world
But the goddess was the one who laid it down
Well, I gots a woman as alive as the day
Gonna breathe a whisper, knock you right down to the ground
So go ahead man and say what you came to say
The black widow's a spider
The black widow's a spider
Then go and prepare for your dyin' day
Won't take one minute till you're curled up dead beside her
Sofia, I need ya
Like a junkie needs a vein
And I wanna feel ya, Sofia
Fallin' down on me like rain
On me like rain
Fall down
Fall down
Fall down
Sofia, I need ya
Like a junkie needs a vein
And I wanna feel ya, Sofia
Fallin' down on me like rain
Sofia, I need ya
Like a freeloader needs his train
And I wanna feel ya, Sofia
Fallin' down on me like rain
Sofia, rain down on me
And I ain't ever
I'll never be the same, baby
I wanna feel ya, Sofia
Fallin' down on me like rain
09 Home (03:23)
I'm a soldier on the field
Fighting for you, fighting for me
You can see it on our faces
Like the bullets leave traces
You can feel it for real
You can't imagine the pain of my baby so far away
So far from my home...
When they comin' home?
When they leavin' that place?
To see their lovers face again
Kid will see his daddy's face again
When they comin' home?
Oh shed some grace!
To see their lovers face again
Kid will see his daddy's face again
I'm a soldier on the field
Waiting to die, praying to live
To survive one more day
But my hope begins to fray
It's my flesh against the steel
You'll never know what I've known
You'll never see what I've seen
I hope we make it home...
When they comin' home?
When they leavin' that place?
To see their lovers face again
Kid will see his daddy's face again
When they comin' home?
Oh shed some grace!
Put your peace in the valley tonight
Bring the soldier home alright
When they coming' home?
Oh, when they leavin' that place?
To see their lovers face again
Kid will see his daddy's face again
So far from home
She cries, politics aside
What I'd give to have him here tonight
When they comin' home?
When they leavin' that place?
To see their lovers face again
Kid will see his daddy's face again
When they comin' home?
Oh shed some grace!
Put your peace in the valley tonight
Bring the soldier home alright
When they coming' home?
Oh, children playing in the sun?
To see their lovers face again
Kid will see his daddy's face again
When they comin' home?
Oh, ?
Put your peace in the valley tonight
Bring the soldier home alright
When they coming' home?
Oh, children playing in the sun?
To see their lovers face again
Kid will see his daddy's face again
When they comin' home?
Oh, ?
When they coming' home?
10 All I Need (03:13)
All I need
Is right here on my sleeve
You get what you get with me, girl
You get the grace and the stain
Count to three and I'll be on my knees
Tryin' to set you free, girl
Tryin' hard to make you see
My love is here to stay
My love is here to stay
Open your heart
You can find your own way
I found they're all the same
My love is here to stay
All I need
Is witherin' on that dream
The fruit of all knowledge, darlin'
The one you were supposed to give to me
Now I sit here
Like a buddha in this chair
Watchin' your spectacle unfold
I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare
But baby, my love is here to stay
My love is here to stay
Open your heart
You can find your own way
I found they're all the same
My love is here to stay, yeah
Like the sun that shines behind the mind
Like the one before all days go by
Like the sun that shines behind our
Like the sun that shines behind the mind
Oh, it shines
Oh, how it shines
All I need
Is right here on my sleeve
You get what you get with me, girl
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