Willie DeVille
The Best of Willie DeVille Live: Come A Little Bit Closer
Eagle Records
www.eaglerockent.com
By George W. Harris

Back in the late 70s, I saw Willie DeVille and his band Mink DeVille
open for Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello and The Attractions. Musically,
what was in the air was the “New Wave” and “punk” movement which
brought pop music back to its raw energetic roots. Willie DeVille,
however, while caught up in that movement, added a bit of Low Rider and
Doo Wop touch to the atmosphere. He always seemed like the type of band
that Bruce Springsteen always wanted to have, tapping into every guy’s
inner Pachuco. Street smart, Latin and always passionate. This
collection of concert cuts has something from just about every period
of the dearly departed DeVille, in settings ranging from full band to
completely unplugged.

The 17 songs on this single disc here features material that spanned
DeVille’s whole career, from the wedding favorite “Storybook Love” to
obscurities like the standing on the corner “Venus of Avenue D.” A
cooking salsa’d “Hey Joe” as well as the 50’s styled “Little Girl” are
simply made for cruising the boulevard in your T –Bird with the dice
hanging down. This set has more polished chrome than a 57 Bel-Air
grill, and sparkles just was nicely. Music that you can wear on your
sleeve.