Mint Condition: "Live at the 9:30 Club"

The First-Ever Live DVD by one of Contemporary Music's Most Respected R&B Acts.

In an R&B era of cookie-cutter acts, Mint Condition is a refreshing alternative. Instead of relying on the three S's – super-producers, synthesizers and studio tricks – the five-piece band makes music the old-school way: by playing actual instruments. And as a genuine, real-live band, they've always stuck out in the world of R&B - they're an anachronism in a genre overwhelmed by musical computerization. Yet the funk-soul-pop group still continues to play some the best organic music of any urban band.

"Live From the 9:30 Club" makes it abundantly clear that each member of the Minnesota-based act is an accomplished performer. Singer/musician Stokley Williams, guitarist Homer O'Dell, keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen and guitarist/bassist Richard Kinchen may not be household names, but each is one of the best in their respective musical field. The band's been together since the early 1980s, and it's easy to tell, as they operate like a well-oiled musical machine. Among the standout tracks is a six-minute version of “Is This Pain Our Pleasure,” an ode to the difficulties of love, and a similarly lengthy rendition of one of the band's best-known and most-loved songs, “Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes).”

The DVD, which is also available in CD format, was recorded in December 2004 at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club, and features songs from the band's five studio albums. One of its few drawbacks is that there really aren't many visual elements that make the DVD superior to the CD version. The band performs on a cozy stage with no props or anything else visually arresting. That is, with the exception of lead singer Stokely Williams.

Williams' facial expressions, ability to captivate an audience and abundance of energy are the visual saving graces. And odds are, if you're a Mint Condition fan, you're more mature than your standard contemporary R&B fan, and aren't likely to be wowed by gimmicks and MTV-stle quick edits, anyway. Interspersed in between the onstage performances, are backstage inerviews with members of the band, which give fans a peek into the non-performing sides of the group's members. The inverviews,albeit brief, provide a good amount of insight into the band's attitudes toward, and fomula for, making music.

Here's the bottom line: if you're already a Mint Condition fan, and/or are a mature person who's tastes in music fall toward old-school sensibilities, you're likely to be thrilled by "Live From the 9:30 Club."