Live at the Triple Door

Album Review

Though Alice Stuart's first album came out in 1964, at the height of the collegiate folk revival, the singer/songwriter sounds remarkably fresh and engaged on the live two-disc set Live at the Triple Door. Essaying standards like Willie Dixon's "Big Boss Man" and Elmore James' "Hard Time Killin' Floor" and bluesy originals like "The Man's So Good" with the sass of a cocky young girl, Stuart also weaves country and traditional folk influences into her music, plus the obligatory Bob Dylan cover. (This one's a fine, sweet-voiced take on "One Too Many Mornings," an excellent choice.) But through most of this lengthy album, it's her folk-blues side (electric, but without the grit and swagger of the Chicago style) that predominates, making it plain why Stuart is noted as a primary influence on Bonnie Raitt. That Live at the Triple Door sounds more authentically bluesy and vital than anything Raitt has done in over a quarter century is testament to Alice Stuart's talents.