I had put off buying this because I'd anticipated a repeat of previous releases -- the ho-hum, cozy/warm vibe of King's "Living Room Tour" and Taylor's "Live," both of which served as late-career retrospectives.  How surprised I was when I heard the music; providing backup is the original rhythm section -- once called The Section -- which helped define the sound for both artists on their seminal records (Danny Kortchmar, Lee Sklar and Russ Kunkel.)  This makes all the difference -- and probably comes close to recreating the original sound of both artists when they played the L.A. Troubadour back in the day (which was indeed the intent of this concert, as the pair united to celebrate the venue's fiftieth anniversary).  There's some muscle here, even a hint of distortion in Kortchmar's guitar, that helps vault both artists' songs into energetic readings that get under the skin.  And the top of the set list includes some early, lesser known songs of Taylor's.  In other words, this isn't an evening restricted to wrapping up in an afghan, sipping camomille tea, and stroking the cat, but rather revisiting a time and place -- the anxiety-ridden late '60s and early '70s -- when both artists' voices were heard in more complex settings than history has assigned them.  (Back then, Taylor wrote often of his time in a mental institution; King was breaking free of her Brill-Building pop roots with songs that included a guy gunning down a congregation.)  Still, the hits are here, but the great backing sound gives them much-needed new life, even as it harkens back to roots.  In short, there's something here for everybody, and it all seems effortless.  It's a terrific and welcome surprise from two artists who deserved this sort of release, because they earned their appreciative audiences.  It appeals across the spectrum.