

If you’ve treated yourself to hearing Phantom Limb’s eponymous debut and its 2012 sophomore album, In the Pines, it should come as no surprise that Live in Bristol confirms that the band is just as amazing onstage as it is in the studio. Fans of frontwoman Yolanda Quartey’s soulful voice should enjoy the opening “Run,” which reveals that the concert's in a room with amazing acoustics; she sounds like a '60s gospel singer taking a solo before backing harmonies, pedal steel, piano, guitar, and drums slowly seep in and flesh out the song. By the second song, “Tumbling Down,” the band has already warmed up into its set. With the bass and drums locked into pocket, undulating Hammond organ notes and the electric guitar’s warm tube amp tones set the room aglow like a fireplace. Of course it’s Quartey’s soaring voice that drives the song to the next level with her impassioned performance. An arresting take on Hank Williams’ “Angel of Death” hovers onstage with a ghostly presence.