In a mere five years, Memphis’s aptly-named Reigning Sound have managed to cut some of the finest rock ‘n’ roll albums in recent history. The brainchild of former Oblivion and Compulsive Gambler Greg Cartwright, their first two discs, Break Up… Break Down and Time Bomb High School were masterworks of beautifully produced rock ‘n’ roll song structure, recalling the Everly Brothers one moment and the Ramones the next, while last year’s Too Much Guitar was a ringing, stripped-down testimonial to the band’s garage punk roots. Now comes their first live disc, cut in front of a rabid crowd in Hoboken, New Jersey after countless opening slots for the Hives. The fact that Greg can be heard tuning in between songs—and that he was down to only three guitar strings by the middle of the set with no spares in his case and still manages to sound great—is a testament to the fact that these guys simply hold nothing back when they hit the stage. As always, the focus is on Cartwright’s instant classics, from the tuneful “Your Love Is A Fine Thing” to the haunting “I’m So Thankful” to the relentless “Straight Shooter.” “Drowning” might just be the album’s finest moment, out-of-tune but righteously soulful and emotionally crippling as ever. You just don’t know whether to shed a tear or hit the dance floor. Or maybe both.

As always, there are a few exquisitely chosen covers on tap, among them Sam and Dave’s “You Got Me Hummin’” and Sam Cooke’s “I Need You Now.” But it’s their explosive renditions of “Stormy Weather” and “Brown Paper Sack”—a dual tribute to Tommy Burk and the Counts and the Gentrys, two or their favorite Memphis garage bands of yore—that won’t leave your mind for days. Neither will Greg’s underground favorite “Bad Man,” which closes things out perfectly. Seemingly incapable of recording anything less than great, the Reigning Sound’s latest is a brutally honest document of a truly awe-inspiring band. The only drawback is that there are as many favorites that weren’t played on this particular night as were!