THE LOCKDOWN SESSIONS

Surprised to see this is actually the first review in this site of this release, knowing there is a vast amount of Roger Waters fans (and haters) who like talking about him and his music. Maybe it is because not so many of them were aware of it, or because they were not convinced about the result, who knows, but to me, this is nice and if you ask me, quite enjoyable.

As you can imagine by its name, 'The Lockdown Sessions' is the result of some recordings made during pandemics, when COVID times surrounded us. Or better said, re-recordings of some of the tracks Waters played as encore during his Us + Them Tour (that took place from 2017 to 2018) and a couple of tracks more of his most personal repertoire. The musicians involved in this recording are the same who played in that tour, including Lucius, the two girls who provided backing vocals in such a wonderful way.

There are six tracks here and a total time of 40 minutes, and though we could say this release does not add anything new or outstanding, I think if you are in a calm or even melancholic mood, you could sit, take a cup of coffee, relax, and enjoy it. From Pink Floyd years you will hear 3 tracks taken off 'The Wall' and 2 off 'The Final Cut', and from his solo years you'll hear one song taken off 'Amused to Death', nothing more.

These versions are nice but not memorable, though the recordings are clean and well done as usual, it is a release you will probably hear just a few times and then lock it down (hehe). But, as I mentioned above, it can provide an enjoyable time if you are in the mood. My favorite is 'The Bravery of Being out of Range', which sounds alike the version on stage from his most recent tour: Us + Them. And talking about that tour, these release closes with what would be the opener of Us + Them, 'Confortably Numb', and that strange slowed-down version that does not have the memorable guitar solo and lacks of that energy and explosive sound.

Give it a try, don't expect anything out of the pocket, just try to chill and enjoy it.

My personal rate according to PA's description would be 3 stars, but I believe it is mostly for collectors/fans, so 2 stars is it.