TODD SNIDER

Live: The Storyteller

[Aimless]

“If everything goes particularly well this evening, we can all expect a 90-minute distraction from our impending doom,” proclaims Todd Snider, near the start of this rollicking, talk-heavy two-CD live set. The sentiment captures perfectly Snider’s offhand way of couching life’s hard truths in snappy, sharp-witted lines and images. The Nashville veteran’s studio albums have earned a first-rate reputation—comparisons to John Prine, Steve Earle and Kris Kristofferson rightly abound—but on stage is where he shines brightest. Like a roots-music version of Lenny Bruce (with a dash of Redd Foxx), Snider keeps his audience hanging on every word, whether he’s slipping sly social commentary into hilarious road stories or just delivering a great song from his stellar catalog. Indeed, if there’s one thing Snider does better than tell stories, it’s setting those stories to music. –Russell Hall