DVD Reviews

The Blind Boys Of Alabama: Live In New York

Over the last year or so, The Blind Boys of Alabama have garnered some well-deserved attention. They’ve stepped into the spotlight by way of their work with Ben Harper, and their memorable performance with Kanye West at this year’s Grammy Awards. So it was with great anticipation that I sat down to watch Go Tell It on the Mountain, Live in New York.

The DVD captures a Christmas concert that the group performed at New York’s Beacon Theatre, where they perform many soul and gospel standards, along with several Christmas tunes. As the show goes on, many friends join them on-stage including Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville, and Chrissie Hynde.

The concert is solid, and is the sort of show I would have loved to attend because, sadly, this DVD does not do it justice. Many moments are poorly edited, and there are far too many wide sweeping shots of the stage. For the most part, it seems as though no cameras were allowed on stage at all, which is a shame since that’s what sets concert films aside from the concert experience itself. Still, there are standout moments, and enough of them to recommend seeing this DVD, if not necessarily buying it.

The anamorphic widescreen video is good, with the bright colours of the stage backdrop coming through nicely. While the sharpness of the video won’t dazzle the average viewer, it’s as good as it has to be, with proper contrast and no edge enhancement or artefacting to be found.

The audio, on the other hand, is disappointing. There are Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 options, along with a DTS 5.1 track. The sound is warm, and round, with some good bass…but there isn’t the separation that this sort of show deserves. Since most of the songs are performed in three and four part harmonies, it would have been amazing to hear the various parts coming from various channels. Still, though it isn’t what I hoped for, it’s still more than good enough to show off the amazing talent this concert brought together (skip to the performance of "Higher Ground" and prepare to be dazzled). Spanish and French subtitles are also available.

The special features are another slight letdown. While the interviews and rehearsals have their informative moments, they are few and far between. There also is no ‘play-all’ button, which makes the look behind this concert a bumpy process. There are also some lackluster music videos, though a stand-out is the video for "There Will Be a Light" taken from a performance with Ben Harper. Sadly, watching that well shot and well edited video only showed me ‘what could have been’.

This DVD strikes me as one that fans of the group would get more from than the casual viewer, and the fact that it’s a Christmas concert doesn’t help. If you’re looking to buy one of the Blind Boys’ concert packages, this isn’t the one to start with. However, if you’ve never heard the Blind Boys sing, by all means do give this DVD a look.