Barenaked Ladies Talk To The Hand: Live In Michigan CD

Joke pop-rockers Barenaked Ladies take the stage in Michigan on TALK TO THE HAND, an hour-plus performance that finds the Canadian outfit running through their biggest hits, including "One Week" and the cloyingly catchy "If I Had A Million Dollars." The Ladies' usual humor and hijinx are in evidence on tunes such as "The Old Apartment" and "Pinch Me," but the band delivers a surprising punch to their live set that should keep fans rocking out while smiling at the cleverness of the songs.

The band presents its first-ever live DVD and latest live CD. With a blend of classics and hits from the recent releases Barenaked Ladies Are Me and Barenaked Ladies Are Men, this concert shows not only why Barenaked Ladies remain loved by their many fans, but also why they are one of the world's greatest touring bands. The DVD features a DTS 5.1 audio mix and is loaded with interviews and other special features, including a sound check performance. The concert was recorded June 15, 2007 at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.

Recording information: D.T.E. Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI (06/15/2007).

Director: Milt Lage.

Editor: Sean O'Neil.

Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan -- clever title, that -- captures the Barenaked Ladies' concert at the DTE Energy Theatre (aka, the former Pine Knob) from June 2007. This isn't their first live CD, suggesting that the group has a dedicated fan base that will happily hear another live release from them, and that's frankly who will find this perfectly professional set appealing. Not that this is bad, as the band is tight and the production is crystalline, but the band is playing directly to an adoring audience, thereby keeping out anybody who might have a passing interest in them. But for that audience -- the kind that will like the acoustic versions of "For You" and "Be My Yoko Ono" -- this is surely a good time, although it may be a time that's better had on video than CD, as this can just fade into the background if it's heard as a straight-up album. [Shout Factory issued the album in CD, DVD, and CD/DVD editions.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Barenaked Ladies: Steven Page (guitars); Jim Creeggan (bass guitar); Ed Robertson, Kevin Hearn, Tyler Stewart.

Personnel: Kevin Hearn (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Steven Page (vocals, guitar); Ed Robertson (vocals, banjo); Jim Creeggan (vocals); Tyler Stewart (drums, background vocals).