Troy Cartwright - Live @ The Record Company

Originally from Dallas, Texas but residing right here in Boston, singer-songwriter Troy Cartwright has released his first live studio session titled Live @ The Record Company. The album is an intimate, direct snapshot of a singer finding his voice and basking in the hospitality of all those around him to make the recording experience that much enjoyable.

The disc starts off masterfully with "That's Life", a folk tinged tune that introduces you to Troy's captivating and charismatic vocal persona that adds a great deal of sophistication and intrigue to a track that features dazzling violin arrangements heard in the background and terrific instrumental syncopation from everyone involved that makes this a splendid track all around. "Coffee In The Morning & Whiskey At Night" brings it down several notches with lightly tuned guitar licks and the violin adding a great deal of comfort and pleasure of hearing the recording session going down right before you with all the melodies making you feel right at home. "Red Tied Up Boots" picks back up the melodic pace with simple piano arrangements and a big emphasis put on style and image that makes this song a totally worthwhile listening experience and a terrific way to begin to close out the effort. We close out the session with "A Mercedes Benz", a homage to the classic Janis Joplin song with a down home country feel and the violin parts adding a pure and authentic touch to the track that best encapsulates the entire feel of the disc and closes everything out perfectly, much like the same way it began. I was lucky and honored to be on hand for this recording session, which took place this past April. I was totally enthralled to be on hand for this special recording session that became a communal for everyone to watch the magic unfold before your eyes and ears, and see firsthand how a recording session exactly works. While it can be a little stressful at times to get the lyrics and overall sound exactly right for the musician, it's a real treat to hear the finished product together and learn that you were a part of something special with a group of people who are just as passionate about music as you are.

Overall, a terrific and well focused live effort from Troy Cartwright, who has a done an excellent job of gathering a group of highly skilled and knowledgeable musicians together to create a wholly unique communal recording project that is pleasant to listen to and makes you feel like you're being mentioned in the credits of the album itself.

                                                                                                                            Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. That's Life
2. Coffee In The Morning & Whiskey At Night
3. Red Tied Up Boots
4. A Mercedes Benz