Rating: NNNN
A welcome departure from Fred Eaglesmith’s over-thought studio albums designed to show him to be a serious songwriter, the two-disc Ralph’s Last Show, recorded live in Santa Cruz, captures him with his guard down, letting slip the humour and humanity of his music. Eaglesmith is among the country’s finest tunesmith troubadours, and this somewhat sloppy but entirely dud-free sampling should convince the few remaining doubters.
