Live

You've seen it over and over again since the advent of the compact disc: best-of collections or live sets from veteran rock acts getting reissued countless times, with different titles/cover artwork, but the same exact music. Such is the case with the 2004 Cinderella release, Live from the Gypsy Road. Recorded over two nights in October of 1998, the album was originally released in 1999 as Live at the Keyclub, before being issued as In Concert in 2004, and then finally being reissued for an unprecedented third time later the same year. All this leads you to wonder -- is this some sort of record for most repackagings/reissues of the same album in the shortest period of time? Regardless, all of Cinderella's greatest hits are here, and singer/guitarist Tom Keifer continues to have all his Steven Tyler-isms down pat. Included are rockers that reflect both '80s era pop-metal ("Shake Me," "Gypsy Road") and power ballads ("Nobody's Fool," "Don't Know What You Got"), as well as tracks that show Cinderella had more in common with the Stones than Bon Jovi at times (especially "Shelter Me"). For fans curious to hear if Cinderella could still cut it live in the late '90s, Live from the Gypsy Road is recommended. Just be careful that you don't already own one of the aforementioned titles. ~ Greg Prato