Agreed about his voice not being as strong.
However, I have listened lately to Elton and Sir Paul live and I would have to say he is running the distance better than they are, vocally although I would say Rod can still cut it live.
At the recent Hyde Park gig, I elected firstly to listen to him through phones, rather than watch, so that I could concentrate more on his voice, and not be distracted by the visual aspect, and I felt that he was very good although I cringed a bit during L.S.T.
Ferry has very cleverly used the backing vocalists in recent years to cover the parts that, well, need covered, and to great effect.
The diehards amongst us will all have picked up on this but I would suggest anyone reviewing a DVD that probably hasn't listened to anything Ferry for a while would find it difficult to hear much of a difference in his voice, such is the way he has improvised.

Of course Bryan's voice is not what it was. It's just a natural part of the ageing process for all singers and he is holding up well by comparison with a lot of his contemporaries. We are in it for the long distance so let's embrace it and enjoy the last lap of the journey.

Bryan's voice has been sounding better to me recently than it has done for a while (including the period when this DVD was shot). I was really worried about it a few years back and thought that time would soon be up but based upon what I have heard this year he seems noticeably stronger. So either I have adjusted my expectations or he has been working on it. At Glastonbury he appeared to have a technique for bringing it back on the one occasion when it showed signs of going so I suspect that he has been getting help in this department. That, plus, as SB says, using a few tricks of the trade (not only clever use of backing vocalists but maybe tailoring his song selection and utilising the BFO format as well) are paying off for him and, by extension, for us.

DCJ's point is correct though; there is something askew about the reviewer's claim and this is particularly incongruous coming from Rolling Stone who have not been kind to Bryan over the years.

Decadent, Debauched but Beautifully Ageing Hipsters,
Despite the amount of Kool-Aid that my good friend DJC accuses me of drinking, I can't deny that our hero's voice has evolved with the passing of time.
That said, it does not necessarily signal that all is lost. Fare from it, becoming a little Satchmoesque can have an appeal all of its own.
As illustrated by "Reason Or Rhyme" — a haunting, world weary performance if ever there was one!
Furthermore the use of backing singers has many advantages. Not least of all, if they are of the female variety, they bring more than a little frisson to performances
One singer of our hero's vintage who has apparently kept his full range is the great Boz Scaggs. Albeit, the Scagster, who is a stationary performer, sings with this strange pipe belching out moisture rapped around his mike. Aesthetically not very Ferryesque and certainly not for our hero.
Regards,
Windswept

I agree with WS2 that all is not lost.

I thought the live transcript of his recent Paris concert was very listenable/enjoyable and I played it through about 5 or 6 times as I worked away on my computer. On many of the tracks (like Crazy Love for example) it is remarkable how he has learned to meld his voice with his backup singers. Very smooth and engaging. But there are also tracks like the jazz/vocal version of LITD that make me cringe and get me looking for the fast forward button.

It will be interesting to hear what the new album (which won't be available until next May, alas) sounds like. Something tells me it won't suffer from the uber-layered, over-produced sound of Olympia, and will be closer to the live instrumental sound he delivers in concert. At least that's my hope.

And while I will always be a huge fan of TGPT, I have no doubt but that CO will provide a very compelling drum sound for the new album...

This will be his most intensive touring schedule since the dylanesque tour so it will be interesting to see how his voice holds up to playing nightly rather than once or twice a week over a long period of time such as the olympia tour and the summer dates just past.The fact that he's only on stage for half or two thirds of the time might help.

Whilst the ageing effect on the voice might understandably be more marked in recent years, it does surprise me when it comes under such close scrutiny because hasn't it always been evolving? Truly, how many BF / Roxy albums could you 'batch' together by vocal style? Some yes, but not that many. The voice changes and matures and, in keeping with just about every other singer, the audience is generally capable of appreciating these changing nuances. The vocal style on albums like ATGB and Olympia are a world away from what went before but I doubt I'd swap any part of ATGB or delights such as 'Reason Or Rhyme' for BF in his vocal prime. The sentiment and maturity of the lyric just wouldn't match the delivery. I think we should celebrate the difference. Cash and Sinatra for example produced some of their best, insightful, mature and deeply moving performances in the autumn of their years. On this basis and BF's post Mamouna output alone, I can only look forward to the forthcoming album and anything that follows it with nothing short of absolute enthusiasm.

Live In Lyon has entered the official UK music video charts at a very respectable number 6 (the highest new entry this week + most of the top five is One Direction!):

http://www.officialcharts.com/music-video-chart

I watched it for a second time yesterday. It really is excellent.

[quote="DCJ"

And while I will always be a huge fan of TGPT, I have no doubt but that CO will provide a very compelling drum sound for the new album...[/quote]

Hmmm, Having watched the Lyon dvd, I don't really see what "extra" CO brings to the band that PT couldn't bring ? In my opinion she looks a little "stiff" when playing. However, PT hasn't really been BF's first choice since the Frantic tour so I'm not surprised he is "out of favor" So I look it as CO has likely replaced Andy Newmark really.

The 2011 Lyon show (that's on the DVD) featured Andy Newmark and Tara Ferry on drums. At the end of the summer 2011 TF stopped appearing with the BF band and in the fall TGPT was brought in to replace AN (TGPT played solo on the American leg of the tour and was also the drummer for the Berlin gig in December 2011). The next spring (2012) Cherisse Osei started making appearances with the BF band (She's there at the Belfast/Titanic gig where BF sings Song of the Sirens) and there were a few gigs where she and TGPT shared the drumming chores.

Out of this BF decided CO was to be the BFO's rock drummer and over the past year TGPT, AN, and TF have not been seen appearing with BF. My sense is that CO is also serving as the Corporate Band drummer for BF, supplanting Emily Dolan Davies.

If I had my druthers, I would have TGPT playing with the BFO and drumming on the forth-coming BF album. But that is not to be. I much prefer CO over AN and/or TF as the band's drummer and I think she has a really solid, muscular sound. That said, I still wish the TGPT was in the drum seat...

It was ironic that TGPT replaced AN (given that AN replaced TGPT in 1980), allegedly because BF wasn't happy with the drums on the olympia tour. Having said that it was BF's intention to use TGPT for live performances from the F+B tour onwards until TGPT had his accident and apart from a couple of tracks on frantic BF has continued to use TGPT in that manner on and off since though maybe that has come to an end now.