Live in NC (Full Light, 2005)

There are songwriters who are good singers, and there are songwriters who sometimes are good pickers.

But a songwriter-singer-picker triple threat? A rare breed indeed. Outside of perhaps a Keith Urban and Vince Gill these days, and Willie, Waylon and Merle back in the day, no one comes close to Darrell Scott.

This 9-cut live album, recorded over 2 nights in 2003 in North Carolina with British bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Kenny Malone, is Scott at his finest. And that's saying a lot, considering a Scott studio album is a certified gem. Scott's cohorts lay down a solid foundation as he absolutely wails on guitar and belts out several of his classics, including "River Take Me" and "Miracle of Living." Scott also offers a stark, acoustic rendering of "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive." But it's not all Darrell Scott - at least, Scott tips his shaggy hair and beard to Johnny Cash and Townes Van Zandt with a nifty 10-minute medley of "Folsom Prison/White Freightliner Blues."

Scott may be mostly known for his immense songwriting talents, but this live album adds one more notch to his triple play: He's a great showman, as well. (POB 40100, Nashville, TN 37204, condon@comcast.net)