Various
Return To Sin City: A Tribute To Gram Parsons (Image Entertainment)
by Marc Hirsh

originally published in Amplifier, May-June 2005

Chronicling the second of two concerts held last year as both a tribute to Gram Parsons and a benefit for the Musician’s Assistance Program (which helps performers overcome drug and alcohol addiction), Return To Sin City is paced, edited and produced like a PBS special, artless but effective. Organized by Gram’s daughter Polly on a shoestring budget and faith in good intentions, it’s a solid outing all around, with three clear stars. One is Keith Richards, whose obvious affection for his long-deceased friend is more than enough to compensate for his limited voice, even on an out-of-the-blue but oddly effective duet with Norah Jones on “Love Hurts.” The second is backing vocalist Susan Marshall, who takes center stage for a powerful “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man.” But it’s Polly herself who provides both heartbreak and joy, concluding the evening by saying, “God bless and thank you for being a part of a really, really deep little girl’s dream. Goodnight.” And then, as all of the evening’s performers overwhelm the stage and the spitfire opening notes of “Ooh Las Vegas” fill the air, Gram Parsons’s daughter starts to dance.

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