Tonight: Live

1	If We Ever Needed The Lord Before (We Sure Do Need Him Now) 3:57
2	Walk On The Wild Side 4:03
3	How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) 3:44
4	All Blues Intro 0:22
5	All Blues 5:18
6	Smile 3:23
7	Over the Hill Is Home (Intro) 0:32
8	Over The Hill Is Home 4:55
9	So Much 2 Say 3:29
10	I'm on My Way (Intro) 0:45
11	I'm on My Way 4:49
12	Mary 7:28
13	I've Got Life/Spread Love 12:00

Barnes & Noble

There are groups who sing, and there are groups who saang. As they show on their first out-of-the-studio recording, Take 6 definitely fall into the latter category. Recorded at the Blue Note in Tokyo, LIVE captures the power of this jazz- and gospel-inspired group's flawless, intricate vocals. On the album, the seven-time Grammy winners breeze through a largely a cappella set of sacred standards such as "If We Ever Needed the Lord Before (We Sure Do Need Him Now)," "Mary," and "I'm on My Way." Take 6 also move into secular waters, plying their voices to sophisticated covers of the Holland-Dozier-Holland classic "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You" and the Charlie Chaplin perennial "Smile." The album's highlight, however, is their awe-inspriring vocal improvisation of Miles Davis's "All Blues," on which each member precisely mimics the sound of an instrument -- from the guttural plucking of an upright bass, to a soaring trumpet blare, to the whining wail of an electric guitar. Throughout LIVE, Take 6 dazzle the listener with their amazing grace. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

One of the great joys of this largely a capella sextet is that while the message of Christ is at the center of everything they do, their spiritual presentation never comes across as heavy-handed. Their recordings and live shows are more invitations to share the joy they have in the Lord, rather than the "believe or else" type of message.

This exquisite live date (recorded at Tokyo's Blue Note in October 1999) features a perfect balance of the R&B, jazz, and gospel that made them famous, combining tunes that are all vocal textures (like the buoyant "If We Ever Needed The Lord Before") with pop tunes redirected towards God ("Smile" and "How Sweet It Is") that feature gentle accompanying instrumentation. Most impressive amidst the joyful churchy grooves is the break into a tribute to a lesser god, that of chief influence Miles Davis. The cover of "All Blues" features a vocal bassline and some gentle vocalese over an intimate piano harmony (by Take 6 member Cedric Dent) before breaking for a wailing trombone solo by Claude McKnight. The tune then explodes vocally as various members of the band re-create the trombone and muted trumpet sounds and wail along. Very inventive. Another clever moment comes on the lengthy closer medley "I've Got Life/Spread Love" when the six split into a vocal trio and a percussion trio which sounds like a full blown hip-hop drum machine track. If only all church services were this enjoyable! ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide