Mike Doughty has made no secret about how tumultuous his time with
Soul Coughing was, but it seemed that after more than a decade of ruminating on the past, the singer/songwriter made those songs his again with
Circles Super Bon Bon..., an album that sought to wash away the animosity he felt toward his old work. After taking the newly re-imagined material on the road,
Doughty decided to put the live versions of these old gems on tape, taking his touring band into the studio after his 2013 tour to record
Live at Ken's House. Like the original material, the songs here are recorded with a setup similar to the old
Soul Coughing, with standup bass, drums, and samplers propelling
Doughty's wandering, spoken word lyrics. This arrangement adds a newfound vitality to the songs, whose 2013 versions seemed a bit flat. The spark of humanity here helps to breathe life into these once again, making
Live at Ken's House the version of these tracks that
Mike Doughty probably should have released in the first place. ~ Gregory Heaney