Ray and company pull off a full repertoire of fantastic acoustic versions of some great material. Even songs that you wouldn't think would lend themselves to an acoustic environment, like Genesis' "Mama," come off surprisingly well. Among the cover tunes, I thought that Ray's version of Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" and The Eagles' "Desperado" were among the highlights. More than anywhere else, Ray showcases his ability to balance soulful vocals with a powerful rock presence that can make even the most skeptical listener a fan. Unlike many live albums, Ray's comments, flubs, and banter are left seemingly intact, which is a refreshing change from the over-produced, overdubbed stuff that most artists release that barely sounds like a live recording. There are a few scattered moments that didn't work very well in my opinion, but the overall performance is outstanding, and I enjoyed the disc from beginning to end. 

Without question, the strongest song on the release is "Goodbye Baby Blue," a beautiful tune that has more marketable commercial appeal than anything on Phil Collins' Testify or Peter Gabriel's Up albums combined. In fact, the first five tracks on Change are among the best the album has to offer. The numbers on the disc blend together with a natural fluidity that makes the whole CD seem to end in no time. The only real exception to that are the bonus cuts added to the European 'special edition.' The transition from the mellow mood of "The Last Horizon" to the loud and hard rock tune "Gouranga" is a rough transition and really shows that the tune is not intended for the release at all. Over all, the album was excellent, and one of the best Genesis related projects I've heard in quite some time. I still hope for that hard rock Ray Wilson album, but, in the meantime, as they say, 'Change is good.' 

The album is very much like VH-1's popular program Storytellers, where Wilson shares stories about his music and some cover tunes that inspired him followed by the acoustic rendition of each song. One of the qualities I like most about Wilson's live projects is that they have moments of imperfection. These sound like true live recordings and have all of the warmth and occasional warts of a real live show. They are not over-dubbed sounding chopped up live tapes with fake audience cheers thrown in for good measure. This comes across as an unblemished, undoctored live recording, which is very refreshing in this day and age. Most artists will not issue a 'imperfect' live album because they either don't sound as good live as they do in the studio or because the audience just isn't that into the music. Neither is the case here for Wilson, who comes off brilliantly. If you have not already purchased the older acoustic album, my suggestion would be to pass on it and buy this one. If you are hungry for more acoustic Wilson after that, it might make a worthy second helping, but truly pales in comparison to An Audience and Ray Wilson. 
 

The harder tracks showcased on She are balanced well with songs like the first single, "Lemon Yellow Sun," which is the kind of song that is commercial enough to get radio play in today's modern rock music scene (at least in North America) yet melodic enough to entice listeners who don't embrace typical 'popular' music. Yes, it's true, a song by a former card-carrying member of Genesis that could actually be a viable candidate for heavy radio play on rock radio! Other tracks like "Constantly Reminded" and "Sick and Tired" have almost equal commercial potential. In short, this is hands down the best album Wilson has done to date. I recommend it highly. 

Much like Ray Wilson Live, the quality of the recording is exceptional and the performance on the night of this particular show was nearly flawless as the band tightly ripped through track after rockin' track. Highlights on this recording include a kick ass version of "Sarah" which is certainly the best rendition I have ever heard, plus fantastic live versions of "Footsteps" and "Inside." The songs performed from the She album are fairly faithful to original studio versions, however, I think "Lemon Yellow Sun" would have come off better acoustically rather than in an electrical setting. Overall, Stiltskin's Live album is another decent offering from Ray Wilson and company.