Pete Yorn has followed the formula set by male singer-songwriters before him – start small in coffee houses, gain the respect of fans, put out an album or two, and then release a double live record.

“Live from New Jersey” offers listeners songs from Yorn’s 2001 release “musicforthemorningafter” and 2003’s “Day I Forgot” and also includes covers ranging from Mark James’ “Suspicious Minds” to Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.”

Yorn’s backing band adds just the right touch of vocals and harmonies and fills out the set with piano interludes and guitar solos where needed. Considering the fact Yorn played every instrument on his first two albums, the band picks up nicely where he left off and never misses a beat.

The set starts off strong and even though Yorn tends to play several slower songs back to back, his vocals save listeners from yawning themselves to sleep. He even dedicates “Just Another” to all the beautiful Jersey girls.

While intermixing stories between songs for his hometown crowd, Yorn pays homage to Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith by dedicating “Bandstand in the Sky,” a song he wrote the day Buckley died.