Maggie Bell and Midnight Flyer: Live Montreux July 1981

Featuring the distinctive voice of Maggie Bell, this 1981 Montreux concert with her band Midnight Flyer captures the chanteuse at a point not far removed from her best years with Stone the Crows and as an in-demand sessions belter (that's her unforgettable shriek you hear behind Rod Stewart on the fade-out of "Every Picture Tells a Story"). Unfortunately, the performances on this 13-song set (with nearly half the songs drawn from the band's lone eponymous album) seem rather pedestrian, with Bell and her four-piece backup sounding more like a good bar band than a top liner act (even the tracks featuring guests Taj Mahal and Albert Collins never really catch fire). The one redeeming feature of this disc (presented in Dolby Digital 5.0) is a recent interview with Bell, in which she recounts—in her charming Scottish brogue—the good old days of hanging with the rock aristocracy; it's like a little rock ‘n' roll history lesson. Even so, this is an optional purchase. Aud: P. (M. Moore)