The closest thing there has ever been to a
Bonnie Tyler comprehensive career hits retrospective,
Live is most notable for capturing the energy and power of one of her concert performances. The album draws from all aspects of
Tyler's career (spanning 30 years) and includes hits from every period of her multi-faceted musical journey. Though one could bicker with some of the choices -- like the seriously abbreviated version of the awesome "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -- there is no doubt that this album showcases a side of
Tyler that only those fortunate enough to have seen her in concert will know.
Tyler is -- at heart -- an amazing live performer and this is a great chronicle of her abilities. The fact that she is able to pull off a concert with this much verve 30 years into her career solidifies the fact that she is one of the greatest female performers in pop music. Diverse, powerful, and fully energized, this is one of those live albums that truly captures a performer at her finest. Fans have been waiting for a
Bonnie Tyler live album for decades -- and this one certainly delivers the goods. Its only fault is the focus on more recent, weaker material than on the masterpieces
Tyler created with
Jim Steinman. An excellent concert album -- and one long overdue.