Hannah Wicklund: Live At The Troubadour Review

Hannah Wicklund, at age 27, is already considered a veteran in the music world. A Southern belle from Hilton Head, South Carolina; she was born into music and has continued, from a young age, to polish and create her musical identity. She began playing piano at age 3 and guitar at age 8, and then began playing local gigs; followed by touring after graduating high school at age 16. Wicklund is a singer, songwriter, and an electrifying guitarist. She has shared the stage with many top acts and has appeared at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. Having released two previous full studio recordings, Wicklund’s newest release, Live At The Troubadour, features many of those studio songs performed live by her four piece band. I might add that the band offers up a very tight, well rehearsed group that plays superbly off of each other, stepping up and laying back at just the right times. The live recording was captured during Wicklund’s “Hell In The Hallway World Tour” in 2024.

Live At The Troubadour opens with a rocking tune called “Hell In The Hallway”, which is a great choice to get a crowd up and moving. Out there, there is always hell in the hallway. I’ve always been a sucker for live recordings, because you can’t hide behind multi attempts at a song, and what you see (and hear) is what you get. The band really showcases how cohesive they are, right out of the gate. On the soulful piece called, “Witness”, Wicklund’s great talk box guitar work is featured. She sings, “I’m a witness of your light going out.” May our lights always continue to shine while we have breath on this earth. The fourth through the seventh pieces from Live At The Troubadour are all more acoustically oriented and my favorite of the four is, “Shadowboxes and Porcelain Faces”; which is a sweet sounding, heartfelt piece.

“Can’t Get Enough” gets us back rocking and it’s a great one. “Eighteen percent is kicking in. I drink and I’m five sheets to the wind. I can’t get enough.” It’s a well written song with an unusual, but tasty, break about mid-song. Track 13 is “Jam In E Minor” and is my favorite from this 15 track collection. This song features Wicklund’s great guitar playing and she introduces the members of the band, before ending the song and launching right into the next one. The last cut from the album surprised me, because I expected a hard driving, blistering finale to wrap up the live event. Instead, Wicklund decided to end with, “Strawberry Moon”; a stripped down, edgy ballad. I really feel that this was such a great way to end the concert and I imagined myself there, expecting something loud and explosive. Instead, we get something that is really on the slower, softer side and personal. It sounds, to me, like a story of first love and lost love. It was just a great, fitting way to wrap up this live recorded project.

Hannah Wickland is someone that we’re going to hear and see a lot more of in the coming years. She possesses all of the skills and talent, necessary to be successful in the music business. I’m anxious to hear what she, and this great band, can create in the near future. If you haven’t been exposed to Hanah Wicklund yet, then Live At The Troubadour is an excellent place to start.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Hell In The Hallway
– Witness
– Can’t Get Enough
– Jam In E Minor
– Strawberry Moon

The Big Hit

– Jam In E Minor