Willy DeVille: Live in the Lowlands

Late singer and guitarist Willy DeVille combines jazz and soul in this 21-song set from a 2005 performance with his seven-piece band Mink DeVille at Amsterdam's Paradiso Club. The band opens with a cover of War's "Low Rider, " featuring Hook Hererra on blues-powered harmonica, after which DeVille takes the stage clad in a black-and-white flamenco-inspired ensemble decorated with silver and turquoise jewelry. If his nicotine-stained voice recalls contemporaries such as Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits, the instrumentation, which includes accordion and standup bass—shares more in common with a Tex-Mex outfit like Los Lobos. At times, he's hard to understand—DeVille tends to segue from words into growls when he isn't taking a drag from an ever-present cigarette—but his angelic backup singers counterbalance his sour with their sweet. DeVille, who uses a cane, remains seated the entire time, but it's hardly a listless performance; he just has his own unique way of working up a sweat. For the most part, he sticks to roots-oriented material, with the exception of Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love," a callback to his origins as a player on the fringes of the 1980s new wave and post-punk scene. If DeVille had chosen to perform solo, his voice wouldn't have been up to the task ("Change of Heart" here is especially rough), but with these players his limited range is much less of a liability and his slide guitar playing shines throughout. Bowing on Blu-ray with DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo sound options, extras include an interview with DeVille. A strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)