“These Dreams of Mine,” Bill Coffey & Ned Evett (Beehouse Records)

Live albums aren’t for everyone, though everyone lately seems to be releasing one. But on “These Dreams of Mine,” super locals Bill Coffey and Ned Evett, with a seamless combination of sweat and sheen, make it look easy.

The disc is certainly a songwriter’s affair.

The troubadour Coffey uses words and simple melodies to tell his stories, often discerning meaning from everyday minutiae such as boxes and U-turns, although love’s tangles never linger far. Meanwhile, fretless guitar whiz Ned Evett, who as a solo artist writes and performs his own songs, effortlessly communes with Coffey’s earnest twang via his electric and reasonator guitars.

The union is a blessed one, and that’s no bloated praise saved for local efforts, not that Coffey and Evett are your typical “local” musicians, having played and toured with various projects extensively for years.

“These Dreams of Mine” was recorded live, meaning no overdubs, in front of an audience at The Tonic Room in Boise over two nights last March. The result shines over 13 tracks of blue-collar Americana, with no discernible let-downs to be found during the live takes. Unscripted moments — such as a female member of the audience copping to a solo sneeze during the performance of “The Beginning of the End” — only add to the album’s charm.

“Did you do it on the beat?” Coffey asks the sneezer.

“These Dreams of Mine” is a fine effort, piloted by two seasoned musicians who care enough to bless each song with a songwriter’s touch.

- Ben Fletcher, PLAY editor 

(Appeared in the March 7, 2008 issue of PLAY Magazine)