The Stereophonics - Live from Dakota

Live albums are a tricky concept, never truly able to capture the excitement of the night and always lacking the production value of the studio. Most provide an idea of what it must have been like the first time around and leave you either racked with jealousy or patting your wallet smugly. The Stereophonics have the not inconsiderable advantage of a solid back catalogue, peppered with classics of recent years that are the audio equivalent of a nice cup of tea, warming and reliable. These tracks, A Thousand Trees and Hurry Up And Wait, for example, stand up well here. However, newer, less familiar material is harder for all but hardcore fans to appreciate in the imperfect live context. With two discs, you get a good deal for your moolah here but the crowd sing-alongs are purely a distraction and you'll quite possibly be left longing for the studio efforts instead. [Jess Chilton]