A decade after stepping into the big shoes left behind by his late brother Ronnie, Johnny Van Zant has finally made Lynyrd Skynyrd his own.

On the band's latest release, Lyve From Steel Town, Lynyrd Skynyrd plows through a mostly well-chosen list of new favorites and old classics, and serves as a great portrait of what this band is now capable of on the concert stage.

Back in 1987. Van Zant took over the role of lead throat during the Tribute tour; as evidenced on Southern By The Grace Of God, he had a solid voice, but sounded very tentative singing the songs that his big brother had helped make famous. Now, it's 1998, and Van Zant has the knowledge and experience to sound comfortable with the material - and he has new songs to back him up as well.

Of the new material, the ghost of Ronnie Van Zant is still present on "Travellin' Man," which he sings with Johnny (through video and audio archival footage), much to the delight of the Pittsburgh audience. And though I still have yet to purchase their last studio album Twenty , if songs like "We Ain't Much Different" and "Voodoo Lake" are any signs of what's on that disc, I'll be at Best Buy tonight. (Only one song fails to impress me, "Berneice".)

But when it comes time to sing the old standbys, Johnny Van Zant simply blows all doubt away. From "Saturday Night Special" to a surprise inclusion, "On The Hunt," Van Zant powers through the vocals, sounding similar to his brother (but with enough difference that keeps the sound fresh) - and is even comfortable enough to ad-lib an occasional vocal. Another surprise is hearing "Free Bird" sung again - on the last live album, Van Zant politely refused to sing it, saying only one person had the right to sing that particular song. (And as touching as it was to hear the audience sing it in 1987, it feels right now to hear Johnny Van Zant singing the song.)

Two minor things that I wasn't fond of on Lyve From Steel Town. First, they could work horns into a couple of songs, but they couldn't use them on "What's Your Name," where they were very much missed? And, as much as Van Zant wanted to pump up the crowd, he seems at times to be a bit pushy in forcing a louder response from them. (I also have to admit, I'll always miss the guitar work of Ed King and the drumming of Artimus Pyle - sorry, I'm still living in the past.)

Lyve From Steel Town contains a few non-musical surprises as well. The inclusion of two live radio interviews might be distracting to the casual fan, but for the drooling Skynyrd fan like myself, these are incredibly interesting to listen to (even if the sound quality isn't the greatest). And though I couldn't get it to work on my antiquated CD-ROM, this release is enhanced with two movies from the corresponding home video release, as well as lots of other goodies. (You'll have to tell me how good they were; I'll take your word for it.)

And as much as I've enjoyed Lynyrd Skynyrd's previous two live albums, there is something special about Lyve From Steel Town. It could very well be that the ghosts of the past, though still gently guiding the band into the 21st Century, no longer cast a pall on the performances like they did in 1987. It's also amazing that the music has hardly aged a day, sounding as fresh today as they did as far back as 1973.

Lyve From Steel Town is one of the better live albums I've heard in a long time, and quite possibly could be the definitive Lynyrd Skynyrd live album. By keeping one foot in the past and the other in the present, Lynyrd Skynyrd prove to even the greatest skeptic they're planning on being relevant in the future.

Rating: A-

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