release date: Nov. 13, 1995
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Mark Minkler
label: World Service - nationality: USA
Acoustic live album by Grant Hart is the recording of a solo concert held Oct. 13, 1994 at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle shortly after the disbandment of Nova Mob following a tour succeeding the band's eponymous album (released May '94).
Ecce Homo (the title referencing the perception of the flagellation of Jesus in Western Christianity) is with Hart at the centre of torment, once more left on his own - left with a presumed bitter taste - and it suitably only features Hart on vocal and acoustic guitar on 14 compositions. He performs his own songs written for Hüsker Dü, Nova Mob and for his solo releases, and despite only adding his strumming of the guitar, the performance well-documents his charismatic vocal and evident songwriter skills. From another perspective, the album is of course quite narrow with no traces of obvious post-production in the making, and it's the simple recording of a completely stripped-down-to-the-bone performance, which is what it is. It's no hi-fi state-of-the-art experience, and you need to address the story of Hüsker Dü, Nova Mob and Grant Hart, who has without doubt gone down in American music history as one its greats. And for that alone, Ecce Homo serves as a fine document.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]
