I’ve had some really good experiences with some of the iTunes Original collections, which include a mix of pre-existing songs, original versions of hits and artist narrations. I’ve especially enjoyed the iTunes Originals with Rob Thomas. This weekend, I picked up my first iTunes Exclusive Live Sessions mix. The Live Sessions series at 5 or 6 songs per collection offers only about half the music of your average Original collection but, as the title indicates, it’s all live music.

Since I’ve downloaded the Five for Fighting Live Session from iTunes, I have not been able to get the music off of my mind. I’ve been listening to Five for Fighting since their first CD, which accompanied my wife and I on a memorable trip down the US West Coast. Even if you can’t associate the Five for Fighting name with a particular song, it’s fairly likely that you’ve heard their music since it gets a good amount of radio play and has found favor with a number of TV commercial producers.

Granted, you are not going to get any original music here but what you do get is Five for Fighting’s best material done live in a pure acoustic (piano and guitar) format. The album is tight and the recording quality is superb. Artist narration, storytelling, and interludes are edited out except for one story about the writing of the song Two Lights which really accentuates that piece. At about $5 for the collection, you really can’t go wrong with this one whether you are an old fan or someone simply looking to pick up some great music to listen to.