Ethel was fabulous - complex, rich, and definitely the best sound quality of the night. When Todd and Joe played the piano, there was a noticeable and distracting distortion in the upper keys - overall I would have thought I was listening to a bad digital piano rather than a 9 foot grand. Todd's guitar sound quality was a little better, but still sounded very thin. The highlight of the evening was definitely the closing set that included all the performers. I was a little disappointed in Todd's vocal on "Pretending To Care" - seemed a bit strained. But the song and setting with Ethel was wonderful - what a great piece of music!
Probably my favorite musical bit of the night was Todd's bossa nova ("With A Twist" anyone?) rendition of "I Saw The Light" - not anywhere close to the top of my list of Todd favorites on any other day. The jazzy vocal approach along with the steady guitar allowed me to see what an incredible, flexible musician Todd really is.
I hope Todd does another tour soon with a band. I miss the interaction. But this setting is truly unique and adds to the palette of Todd musical experiences.