It is the spiritual successor to her father Donny'sLive, which was recorded in 1972. In addition to her own songs, there are covers of many songs by artists like Baker ("Angel"), Luther Vandross ("Forever, for Always, for Love"), Vesta Williams ("I'm Coming Back"), Randy Crawford ("When Your Life Was Low"), as well as her father's hits ("Little Ghetto Boy" and "You Were Meant for Me").
AllMusic editor Andy Kellman rated the album four out of five stars. He wrote: "Like her father's album [Live], Lalah's includes a performance of "Little Ghetto Boy," and the faithful version here opens a set that easily bounces from point to point in her discography. Among the standouts are the consecutive "Baby Don't Cry" and "I'm Coming Back," both originally recorded for Lalah Hathaway, and an 11-minute version of Luther Vandross' "Forever, for Always, for Love" that best displays the increased depth and richness of Hathaway's voice [...] Topped off with a pair of new, high-quality studio cuts that help fill the compact disc edition to capacity, this is essential for Hathaway fans."[2]
SoulTracks critic L. Michael Gipson note that "compared to what is currently in the marketplace, discovering this album is akin to striking oil in the Dakotas. Lalah Hathaway's enormous talent and technical proficiency are all evident throughout and Hathaway at 80% is better than too many to name at their fullest throttle [...] Perhaps the potential success of this project will encourage Hathaway to make more than one live recording, outside of the revered guest spots on Marcus Miller's and Kirk Whalum's respective concert recordings. Her own legacy, independent of her father's, certainly deserves it."[3]
Lalah Hathaway Live debuted at number 33 on the US Billboard 200 chart in the week of November 11, 2015, selling 15,000 copies in its first week.[4] It also debuted at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number three on the Independent Albums chart, marking her highest-charting set yet on the former chart,[4] while becoming her first entry on the latter.[5]
Producers: Darhyl Camper, Divageek, Lalah Hathaway, Ben Jones, Eric Smith
Engineers: Les Cooper, Anthony Jeffries, Benita Lewis (mixing engineer), Coobie Lewis (mastering, mixing), Josh Lewis, Jimi Randolph (monitor engineer), Jeremy Underwood, Brian Vibberts
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