Whomever wrote that review was either not a Dionne fan or had some personal grudge. This is Dionne live at her finest. Her voice is not what it used to be. But in '82, she was at a vocal peak. Performing weekly on Solid Gold and fresh from her biggest 80's hits (Deja Vu and Heartbreaker) Dionne is in excellent form here. Calling this album "decent-to-boring" is missing the point of Dionne's vocal prowess. She never had the notes of cousin Whitney or the unyielding soul chops of Aretha. Dionne's power was in her amazing vocal economy, impeccable phrasing, and the sheer unique quality of her voice. The results are not "forgettable". At least not for this Dionne fan! Her re-working of Alfie is the kind of live performance that only Dionne could deliver in her prime.

Despite the lukewarm reception from the official review, this concert lp finds Dionne in very good vocal form. For those that have sought this disc on eBay know that this concert in its original form sells on average over $100 for the Japanese or German CD. The reprint isn’t bad - but it is missing a track from the original concert - We Never Said Goodbye. It would have been more fitting to ensure the full concert was preserved for the reprint vs adding new session songs. Speaking of session songs, even all of the original side 4 songs aren’t on this release…which is quite unfortunate. It is my hope that the firm behind the re-release will update the iTunes version and publish the full 1981 LP in it’s original state - hopefully taken from the Mobile Fidelity 1/2 speed masters performed in the mid 80s - to give this recording it’s full and just treatment. Highly recommended. If you can get your hands on the ’86 Japanese CD print - while expensive - it’s well worth it!

This is one of my favorite live albums by Dionne. Her voice is in top shape.