John Butler - One Small Step: Live and Solo (2008)

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Recorded live at Twist and Shout Records in Denver, USA this is John Butler stripped back without his band, a solo 'instore' performance and other than his old busking days – his first solo release.

"One Small Step" comprises eight tracks including Funky Tonight, Zebra and recent hits Better Than and Used to Get High. Highlight of the album is the instrumental Ocean and going by the applause he received the hit of the show.

This is a great live performance and Butler covers the lack of band well with amazing guitar ability, and the final product is an amazing set, which shows the intimacy of the performance (even with the obligatory cheering and hollering mid-song).

The best part of this album is that you would never know it is a live performance. Butler is flawless, his voice, so recognisable and completely raw, is so good that it would never need to be recut had it been recorded in the studio.

Daniella opens up with Butler showcasing some of his beatboxing skills, Zebra and Funky Tonight rock like the full band is there, you almost wouldn’t know it was Butler by himself. If you had not heard any of the John Butler Trio albums before you could almost pass this is a good solo album, in any case this is a great album of JBT’s greatest hits done in an amazing way, by one of this country’s most fabulous musicians.

It is an excellent selection of songs, played with so much passion.

In true John Butler style $1 from the sale of "One Small Step" will be donated to the Close the Gap campaign, the Oxfam campaign calling on federal, state and territory governments to commit to closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

For this reason alone it’s worth the value of purchase.

RATING: 4 out of 5

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