LIVE AT THE VAC
David Andrews Band
3 1/2 stars

After moving to Boise in 2006 from Oregon, David Andrews quickly became one of the city’s most respected singer-songwriters. Musicians want to play with him. For two nights in April at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City, many got their wish: Andrews assembled a backing band that rivals the size of audiences at some local gigs. He enlisted vocalists, a blasting horn section, a second rockin’ guitarist — the works. The VAC was jammed with fans and friends. Their excitement empowered the veteran players on stage, but it never disrupts this well-recorded, entertaining CD.

Andrews, who fronted popular regional jam band Calobo in the 1990s, is blessed with a sandy, supple voice that will shock locals who scoff at the notion of a soulful — and, yes, tuneful — pop-rock vocalist in Boise. He’s also a gifted, melody-oriented songwriter with hints of Jackson Browne in his vibe. Precisely zero throwaways exist among these 11 catchy tracks, which glide easily from Americana roots-rock on album opener “The Intention” to the reggae-laced bounce of “Lawman,” where Andrews delivers a Marleyesque vocal.

Andrews and his band tack a wandering jam-band section onto the overlong finale, “The River,” which probably worked better in person than on disc. Otherwise, energy permeates this consistently well-executed performance, partly because Andrews is framed by enthusiastic players who usually add flourishes without stepping on his toes. When a blazing electric guitar solo gives way to strings during an upbeat song about falling in love with a painting (“Close Your Eyes”), the arrangement feels like a canvas itself.

By carefully planning, rehearsing and treating this album’s recording as a full-fledged event, Andrews delivers the best local disc so far in 2008, and possibly the best live CD produced in Boise. (There aren’t so many.) These 52 minutes make you long to be there at the VAC, grooving with the giddy band and crowd. That’s the ultimate compliment.