Rod Stewart
Unplugged... and Seated

THE REVIEW

Fans of soft rock and the distinctive voice of Rod Stewart will find pleasure with "Unplugged...and Seated," a live album from 1993 that features, among the special guests, former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood. It ranges from the early rock evoked in the opening track "Hot Legs" to a collection of love ballads (found and lost) culminating in a sort of crescendo with the classic "Highgate Shuffle," "Stay With Me" and "Having a Party".

This is a fresh reissue, available also as a "collector's edition" along with a DVD.

Nothing groundbreaking, in my opinion. But maybe that's because I've always found Rod somewhat "raspy." I've listened to the CD multiple times, yet it hasn't helped me appreciate it more; quite the opposite. The good intentions are thwarted by the vocal cords of the Londoner of Scottish origin, which, as usual, seem clouded by a layer of post-coital fatigue. The layer seems to be somewhat scraped off only in the non-original ballads: "Reason to Believe" by Tom Hardin, "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield, "Have I Told You Lately" by Van Morrison, "Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)" by Tom Waits, and "Having a Party" by Sam Cooke.

Granted it's an "unplugged," but the guitars run with the handbrake on and the keyboards simmer gently. Of Stewart's own compositions, "Mandolin Wind" is certainly the most successful, with its folk chord progression. Commendable also when this somewhat chilled eunuch voice ventures daringly into the interpretation of the aforementioned "Waltzing Matilda" and the almost forgotten—unjustly so—"The First Cut Is the Deepest" (by Cat Stevens): against all odds, the attempt succeeds, but it's mainly due to the goodness of the compositions themselves.

There are a total of 15 tracks, destined for twilight moments, between a nostalgic tear and a yawn.