Rating: 4 Pulses

HBA decided to record their sophomore album live, in the studio.

Good for them.

It’s intended to present these songs as one would see them live.

The trio visited the studios at SAE in Nashville and recorded a couple takes. The tracks were later engineered by the band’s bassist and violinist, Dillon Smith.

Indeed, the humanity translates well. The vocals aren’t always perfect. The balance isn’t perfect. And while the recordings aren’t exactly improvisational, they aren’t perfect little scripts of overproduced music either.

It’s a great introduction to the songs, which were mostly perfected live themselves.

My only complaint is that their live shows are much more endearing and beguilingly sweet. The sheer physical effort of a live performance is missing.

So is the slur of the bad sound at literally every venue here in Murfreesboro that makes the prettiest notes of these lovely songs by three bewitchingly emotive musicians so real and plaintive.

This sentiment either makes me a hopeless romantic or means I’ve lived in Murfreesboro too long. I’ll let you be the judge.

The one song that had me believing was “Bait.” The last refrain sounds convincing, and I believe those horns were surprisingly different.

These recorded versions of “This Is About Monsters” and “Mystery Scars” blessedly allow the listening public to hear the piano very clearly. How lovely. It can get lost in live performances, what with the drums and general liveliness of a HBA show.

“Tiffany.” Ah what can we say about you. All I could hear was the cowbell. There’s something about this song that just feels a bit off, especially compared to the rest of this album’s dynamic collection of tunes. Was it the placement? Or is this song just a teensy bit dull?

It’s not that we mind a calm moment. One is delivered beautifully in “Manhattan,” with a plaintive and gentle edge.

Live in the Studio is an all around good effort, and well worth having for the songs that can’t be found on their first album.