Released eight years after the actual event,
Rhino
's
A Tribute to Nicolette Larson: Lotta Love Concert
compiles highlights from two concerts at
the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
in February 1998.
Larson
passed away in December 1997, and a group of her friends and colleagues in the California
soft rock
and
singer/songwriter
scene gathered together to pay tribute. So, the concert featured such heavyweights as
Jackson Browne
,
Emmylou Harris
Linda Ronstadt
Jimmy Buffett
Carole King
Dan Fogelberg
Bonnie Raitt
Joe Walsh
Little Feat
, and, of course,
Crosby, Stills & Nash
. Many of these artists, but not all, had
sing on their records and the songs here do not necessarily reflect songs that featured
Nicolette
on backing vocals. Instead, this is an all-star concert where the stars sing their all-star songs:
Walsh
does
"Rocky Mountain Way,"
Browne
"Running on Empty,"
Ronstadt
"Blue Bayou,"
CSN
do
"Southern Cross,"
Buffett
"Margaritaville."
In other words, no real surprises, other than that the performances are infused with a genuine sense of warmth and love that's rare on superstar concerts like these. Perhaps that's because these two concerts functioned as a public wake for a singer who was an integral part of the Californian scene in the '70s, and her friends are celebrating her life and music while re-creating that '70s spirit for a brief time. Whatever the case, there's a real feeling of love and affection on this tribute, which makes it not only a fitting tribute, but a record worth hearing for anybody who's had deep and lasting fondness for the sound of Southern California in the '70s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine