This two disc set has singer/guitarist Shawn Mullins delivering the same songs in the same order on each disc, the only difference being that the first disc has the team of Tom Ryan/b-sax, Radoslav Lorkvic/key-acc, Davis Causy/g, Patrick Blanchard/g-mand, John Keane/stg, Gerry Hansen/dr, Wayne Postell/tp and guests going electric while the second is an intimate and acoustic affair.
The fact is that there is plenty of ‘acoustic’ music on the first set as well, with folksy moods on “You Mean Something to Me” and “Shimmer.” The team gets soulful on “And On A Rainy Night” with some nice funk factors for “Lullaby.” And rich saxes on “Anchored in You.” For the acoustic part, Mullins tells stories to introduce us to pieces such as “Soul Child” and “Patrick’s Song,” with cozy piano and voice deliver an intimate “September in Seattle” and minstrel strums abound on the folksy read of “Lullaby.” Mullins has the voice and delivery of a hitchhiker, so all along you feel like he’s weaving yards in your cab.