Check out these reviews/ comments raving about MCB Live!
These guys have been dishing out their R&B/blues (with a bit of funk tossed in to get the rumps shaking) for nearly 20 years. Their latest album, recorded live at Black Eyed Sally's in Hartford, is a fine recording. It has lots of solos that actually work, some extend-o-jams that keep the crowd up. It's all that you'd expect from a established, polished band. 3/14 Craig Gilbert/New Haven Advocate
MCB Live
Live records are typically best saved for bands that have either a tremendous live show like Kiss or for bands that have a legacy that warrants as much ala The Rolling Stones. So reviewing a live record from Hartford act The Michael Cleary Band is a bit of a pre-loaded gun. The Michael Cleary Band has been carving out their niche as the areas preeminent blues-based rock band for almost 16 years now and they are great at what they do: check the solo at the tail end of Never Gonna Let, the harmonies on Stand, or pitch perfect classic rock stand-in Zydeco. The live setting suits them and it’s the relative coziness of the venue that yields a hominess as you have fans squabbling, the band’s inner dialogues and if you listen hard enough you can hear the clinking of pint glasses between sets. 3/21 David Lewis/Play New Haven magazine
Michael Cleary Band ~ MCB Live
For the uninitiated, MCB Live is a great introduction to the Michael Cleary Band, the closest you’ll come to experiencing them live. For area fans who’ve followed MCB’s near 16-year road of music-making in our region, it’s a cool souvenir to be savored, a colorful snapshot of these musicians completely in their element.
Recorded at Hartford’s own Black-Eyed Sally’s, MCB Live delivers an evening’s worth of funkified songs capable of moving both hearts and feet. Brothers Ed and John Corvo lay down and power the grooves here with soul and precision, abetted by Paul Bozzi’s engaging percussion; keysman Vince Delaria at times conjures up the late great Kenny Kirkland with his wondrously colorful lines; and Cleary presides over his ensemble with soulfully agile vocals and guitar.
Groovier than the Allman Brothers and more riffalicious than Tower of Power, MCB’s sound is an audibly tempting brew seasoned with skill and feeling. High points “Zydeco Girl,” TOP-esque groove-fest “Funky 16” and closer “Child Inside” joyfully illustrate their musical bond is as energetic and entertaining as ever. Catch them live in Middletown on April 6th at La Boca. Guy-Michael Grande/Ear Candy/Rare Reminder
This disc RIPS!!! The solo on All To You is ridiculous. Alan Veniscofsky / Rane
5 Stars - Incredible live performance...
This disc is a great example of a soulful, incredibly talented band at their absolute best. Mike and the boys sound so tight, you can feel the energy on this disc...it's a great representation of how powerful they are live! Lee Sylvestre / Bill Carlton Band
I enjoyed the heck out of your live performance ...and certain parts really brought a smile to face. Elliott Randall / Steely Dan /
www.elliott-randall.com/
The Michael Cleary Band
MCB Live
(self-released)
I am dating myself when I say that the Michael Cleary Band is more my parents’ music than my own. Influences like Little Feat, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, and the Allman Brothers guide their tunes. However, where their previous discs left me cold, MCB Live has finally convinced me that these guys are worth noting. And you know what did it for me? The lyrics. They’re a great working-class band with a great live show. Dan Berry, Hartford Advocate
