Live At Earls Court

More than 22 years after The Smiths' first gig and roughly 16 since Morrissey's initial go as a solo artist, the stage continues to be rushed and tears continue to be shed by hosts of devoted fans. Live at Earls Court finds British rock icon Morrissey and his band performing in London. It is one of the best highly energetic and emotionally charged performance from the Mozfather himself. The album navigates a tasteful set of solo favorites, newer B-sides, Quarry tracks and of course a few choice items from The Smiths canon.

Live at Earls Court contains a healthy dose of sarcastic remarks, that throat grumbling thing he does and of course plenty of lyric play. The album surprisingly omits a few signature Morrissey hits (no Suedehead for instance) but dips into a few old classics by his former band The Smiths. Smiths’ tunes, such as the cliché, How Soon Is Now are played with a renewed sense of vitality. Tracks that recall that era include heartfelt performances of the brilliant There is a Light That Never Goes Out and Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me. But newer songs manage to hold their own alongside the classics, especially You Are the Quarry's anthemic, First of the Gang to Die, and B-sides, Don't Make Fun of Daddy's Voice and Friday Mourning. Other pinnacles include a flawlessly executed, however mellow version of There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, and a polished rendition of Patti Smith's, Redondo Beach, also the album's single.

While past live Morrissey albums such as Beethoven Was Deaf featured the singer's penchant for beautifully ragged ersatz rockabilly, Earls Court showcases the more polished group sound developed out of the You Are the Quarry sessions, which isn't to say that Morrissey has lost his edge. On the contrary — such songs as I Have Forgiven Jesus and The World Is Full of Crashing Bores prove that his legendary wit and sardonic tongue are fully intact and as sharp as ever. Similarly, his burnished baritone vocals have arguably never sounded better and the lush, muscular band arrangements frame him with a glam regality befitting his late-career resurgence.

It's been nearly twenty years since The Smiths broke up, but the band's passionate, sensitive fans have never quite gotten over it. On this live set from 2004, Morrissey – who is slowly turning into a British New Wave version of Frank Sinatra – heals some of the heartache by revisiting his old group's anthems in excellent, swaggering renditions. But Live at Earls Court isn't just an exercise in nostalgia. The best songs from last year's return-to-form You Are the Quarry hold their own against The Smiths' classics. Such mix of the old, the new, and the unexpected — rare B-sides — makes Live at Earls Court one of the most successful albums of Morrissey's career.