Reviews

The first encore is Solace, a romantic ballad about a child's nightmare passionately sung by Kim Saviour. In a way this piece resembles Fish's classic song A Gentleman's Excuse Me. The second encore is the four-minute rock song Strange Days and the last one is the Tears For Fears- Mad World with a guest appearance of Arena's guitarist John Mitchell. It's an up-tempo version with lots of guitar and synths duels that make this piece a fine conclusion of the concert. In my opinion Touchstone's Live In The USA is one of the best and remarkable live CD's of the last three years. It's a real pleasure to listen to this band any time of day and that's just the way I like it.
www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDReviews/TouchstoneLiveUSA.html

...Before I talk about the music (which will already be familiar to Touchstone fans but new to the likes of me) I should acknowledge the superior sound quality. The men responsible for the excellent production are James Billinge and John Mitchell with mastering by Tim Turan. When it comes to live recordings a true test is the sound of the drums and here Melville benefits from a full and weighty presence. A fine example is the energetic Zinomorph on disc two where the snare drums snap in each ear whilst the kick drum pounds on the listener’s chest like a hammer. Melville has recently decided to relinquish the Touchstone drum stool which is a shame given his impressive work here. The artwork by guitarist Hodgson (particularly the montage of Touchstone posters in NY’s Time Square) is also rather cool. Disc one opens with the taped voice of actor Jeremy Irons before the band introduce the title song from Wintercoast with all guns blazing. From this point on they maintain a firm grip right up to the fading chords of Mad World that closes disc two. This old Tears For Fears tune provides a crowd pleasing finale as well as receiving a convincing metal makeover with guest John Mitchell joining Hodgson for some spectacular shredding. Elsewhere Touchstone perform with power, poise and confidence and I was particularly impressed by the commanding lead voice of Kim Seviour. She’s equally at home with the rockier numbers like Joker In The Pack and Strange Days as well as the ballad style moments of Dignity and Solace...
www.dprp.net/reviews/201062.php#touchstone

I have never had the pleasure of seeing Touchstone live: an unfortunate function of living in the otherwise lovely Canadian province of New Brunswick. This album serves to heighten this regret. While the tracks are taken from a couple of different performances, the two CDs flow with the feeling of a single live performance. Instrumentally, the performances are strong and, while close to the originals, not carbon copies of them. Seviour's and Cottingham's vocals are similarly excellent, with her contributions to The Mad Hatters Song most welcome (she does not appear on the band's first EP, from which this song is taken). There are a few production glitches, but nothing that should impede most people's enjoyment. Highlights, in terms of energy, as Wintercoast, Mad Hatter's Song, Zinomorph, Strange Days, and Mad World, the last being a cover of Tears for Fears and an appropriate conclusion to an album by a band that wears its 80s influences on its collective sleeve. A highly recommended live album by a band that shows a lot of promise--essential, I think, for fans of contemporary Crossover Prog
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=308421