On his 17th album, Wilcox tries a bold experiment: he records in front of a live audience, but without applause punctuating each tune. The result captures the current of a concert performance and focuses it on songs such as the plaintive "Dynamite in the Distance," which tells of a demolition man working in winter and treading a tricky romance: "When you hear the sound from far enough away / Even dynamite can purr."

Louis R. Carlozo

Louis R. Carlozo is a music producer in Chicago.

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