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SACD

Diana Krall – Love Scenes (1997) [Reissue 2004] [SACD / Impulse! – 0602498627891]

adminOctober 20, 2025 46 Views

Title: Diana Krall – Love Scenes (1997) [Reissue 2004]
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Like a mink draped over mahogany, Diana Krall’s luxuriously supple alto adorns the vintage songs of romance and longing found on Love Scenes with a palpable aura of glamour and late-night cool. Her ostensibly effortless command of phrasing and intonation, whether the mood is seduction or a sweet sassiness, further fortifies the opinion that the Canadian vocalist-pianist possesses one of the great female jazz voices to surface in the late 1990s… Augmented by spare but skillful instrumentation from bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone, Krall sustains a largely quiet (though hardly sleepy) ambience throughout the CD’s 12 selections, from Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky),” which she also uses as a showcase for her touch at the keyboard, to Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” Her swing is artfully subdued (“All or Nothing at All”), and her wry, expressive approach to “Peel Me a Grape” is pure charm. Yet Krall shines most luminously on languid gems such as “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You” and “Garden in the Rain.” Anyone in search of an album ideal for watching city lights at 2 a.m. should keep Love Scenes in mind.
Vocalist/pianist Diana Krall was a very hot property by the time this Impulse CD was released. Teamed in a trio with her regular guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Christian McBride, Krall here mostly emphasizes ballads having something to do with love. She is at her best on “I Don’t Know Enough About You,” “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You,” and “How Deep Is the Ocean.” However, Krall’s earlier Nat King Cole tribute had more variety in tempos and moods and is recommended first. A decent but not essential release.

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2 min read

SACD

Dexter Gordon – Go (1962) [Analogue Productions 2010] [SACD / Analogue Productions – CBNJ 84112 SA]

adminOctober 20, 2025 43 Views

Title: Dexter Gordon – Go (1962) [Analogue Productions 2010]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

From the first moments when Dexter Gordon sails into the opening song full of brightness and confidence, it is obvious that Go! is going to be one of those albums where everything just seems to come together magically. A stellar quartet including the stylish pianist Sonny Clark, the agile drummer Billy Higgins, and the solid yet flexible bassist Butch Warren are absolutely crucial in making this album work, but it is still Gordon who shines. Whether he is dropping quotes into “Three O’Clock in the Morning” or running around with spritely bop phrases in “Cheese Cake,” the album pops and crackles with energy and exuberance. Beautiful ballads like “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry” metamorphosize that energy into emotion and passion, but you can still see it there nonetheless. Gordon had many high points in his five decade-long career, but this is certainly the peak of it all.

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1 min read

SACD

Dexter Gordon – Dexter Calling (1961) [Analogue Productions 2008] [SACD / Analogue Productions – CBNJ 84083 SA]

adminOctober 20, 2025 41 Views

Title: Dexter Gordon – Dexter Calling (1961) [Analogue Productions 2008]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Dexter Gordon’s second recording for Blue Note is a solidly swinging affair, yet constantly full of surprises. It’s not unexpected that Gordon’s tenor at this time (1961) was one of the most enjoyable in mainstream jazz, but his transition from the cool California scene to the hotter music environs of New York City had energized his sound and attitude. A first-time pairing with bassist Paul Chambers has something to do with this, but it also inspires pianist Kenny Drew to a great extent, while drummer Philly Joe Jones is his reliable, energetic self, and always works well with Gordon. Where Gordon’s fluent melodic sense is perfectly demonstrated during the simple-as-pie groove waltz “Soul Sister,” the steady, steamy bopper “I Want More,” and the familiar Charlie Chaplin evergreen “Smile,” his sense of expanding the specific line upon soloing is truly remarkable. He constantly keeps the song form in mind, riffing on and on without violating the basic note structures, constantly reharmonizing, shuffling the chords like a card dealer and updating the song form. “The End of a Love Affair” takes this concept into an area where his deep, subtle voice is translated directly into the low-slung voicings of his horn. The remarkable “Modal Mood” combines hard bop with Drew’s three-chord piano repetitions and Gordon’s soulful, simplified sax, while the equally impressive “Clear the Dex” steamrolls the competition as the band — cued by Jones — skillfully pushes or pull tension and release elements, then busts loose into joyous swinging in a true signature tune that is immediately recognizable as only the long, tall tenor man. The sad ballad “Ernie’s Tune” is based on a yin/yang theme via Freddie Redd’s stage play The Connection and the crazy character that ran wild or tame. The excellent band, solid musicianship, and memorable music on every track make this one of the more essential recordings of Gordon’s career.

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2 min read

SACD

Destiny’s Child – Survivor (2001) [SACD / Columbia – CS 61063]

adminOctober 20, 2025 44 Views

Title: Destiny’s Child – Survivor (2001)
Genre: R&B
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Survivor is the third studio album by American girl supergroup Destiny’s Child. n the US, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on May 19, 2001 with first-week sales of 663,000 units and stayed at number one for two consecutive weeks. It earned Destiny’s Child three Grammy nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album. Survivor was certified quadruple Platinum by the RIAA on January 7, 2002. Billboard magazine ranked Survivor at number 70 on the magazine’s Top 200 Albums of the Decade. The album has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Nobody would have predicted that Destiny’s Child would rule over the contemporary R&B scene in the beginning of the new millennium — not after “Bills, Bills, Bills” hit the top of the charts, not even after “Say My Name” became an anthem in 2000. But nobody challenged their position, so they reigned supreme in the early 2000s, eventually inheriting the title of the great girl group of their era. Since they had a couple of pretty good singles, namely the aforementioned pair, most conceded them that position, particularly since they seemed more talented than their peers, but Survivor, their first album as full-fledged superstars — also their first album since most of the group disappeared due to managerial conflicts — is as contrived and calculated as a Mariah Carey record, only without the joy. This is a determined, bullheaded record, intent on proving Destiny’s Child has artistic merit largely because the group survived internal strife. So, whatever pop kitsch references the title may have — and it’s hard not to see it as an attempt to tap into the American public’s insatiable love for CBS’ brilliant reality TV show of the same name — the title is certainly heartfelt, as the members of Destiny’s Child want to illustrate that they are indeed survivors. This doggedness may fit on occasion, as on “Independent Women, Pt. 1,” the theme to Charlie’s Angels, but it usually takes precedence over the music — such as on the title track, a flat-out terrible song and the worst the group has ever recorded. “Survivor” is painfully labored, stuttering over a halting melody that Beyoncé Knowles breathlessly pushes to absolutely nowhere, working it so hard that it’s difficult to listen. Unfortunately, that pattern repeats itself way too often on Survivor, as the group undercuts its seductive mainstream R&B with repellent pandering and naked ambition. This isn’t even the case where you can rely on the label and its cohorts to find the best tunes for the radio, since the moments where Destiny’s Child sound the best are when the group is not vying for airplay. When the group swings for the bleachers, Beyoncé oversells the song, rivaling Christina Aguilera in the diva sweepstakes. There are moments where the group makes it work, but this is a truly uneven record, bouncing between appealing mid-tempo soul numbers and hard-sell feminist anthems, where the ambition of Beyoncé and her cohorts is too naked. You can hear them work on “Nasty Girl,” as they appropriate the theme from Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It,” then inexplicably borrowing “Tarzan Boy” for the chorus. You can hear them trying to take Andy Gibb’s “Emotion” slow, attempting to give it emotional resonance, yet such heartfelt overtures are toppled by the arrogant “Gospel Medley,” where their secular pyrotechnics sound mannered, not inspired. Each of these are intended to give Destiny’s Child a different level of depth — a pan-cultural, knowing appropriation of pop’s past, balanced by a chart-savvy cover of a pop classic, plus a showy display of prowess. Each of these steps are calculated, as is the album itself. It’s a record that tries to be a bold statement of purpose, but winds up feeling forced and artificial.

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4 min read

SACD

Derek & The Dominos – Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) [Reissue 2004] [SACD / Polydor – B0003640-36]

adminOctober 20, 2025 68 Views

Title: Derek & The Dominos – Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) [Reissue 2004]
Genre: Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The Layla album was successful in the U.S., where “Bell Bottom Blues” and the title song charted as singles in abbreviated versions, but it did not chart in the U.K. The Dominos reconvened to record a second album in May 1971, but split up without completing it. Clapton then retired from the music business, nursing a heroin addiction. Wishing to escape the superstar expectations that sank Blind Faith before it was launched, Eric Clapton retreated with several sidemen from Delaney & Bonnie to record the material that would form Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. From these meager beginnings grew his greatest album. Duane Allman joined the band shortly after recording began, and his spectacular slide guitar pushed Clapton to new heights. Then again, Clapton may have gotten there without him, considering the emotional turmoil he was in during the recording. He was in hopeless, unrequited love with Patti Boyd, the wife of his best friend, George Harrison, and that pain surges throughout Layla, especially on its epic title track. But what really makes Layla such a powerful record is that Clapton, ignoring the traditions that occasionally painted him into a corner, simply tears through these songs with burning, intense emotion. He makes standards like “Have You Ever Loved a Woman” and “Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down and Out)” into his own, while his collaborations with Bobby Whitlock – including “Any Day” and “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?” – teem with passion. And, considering what a personal album Layla is, it’s somewhat ironic that the lovely coda “Thorn Tree in the Garden” is a solo performance by Whitlock, and that the song sums up the entire album as well as “Layla” itself.

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3 min read

SACD

Derek Smith Trio – Beautiful Love (2009) [Japan 2017] [SACD / Venus Records – VHCD-1028]

adminOctober 20, 2025 45 Views

Title: Derek Smith Trio – Beautiful Love (2009) [Japan 2017]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

A jazz pianist noted for his versatility and elegance, Derek Smith, from the ’50s was a staple on the U.K. jazz scene, regularly performing with the giants like Kenny Graham, John Dankworth, and Kenny Baker. Smith remains relatively unknown in the U.S. but is strongly admired by fellow musicians and ardent fans. For his debut for Venus Records, Smith – who was 76 years old at the time of the recording – was paired with a very strong rhythm section: Peter Washington on bass and Joe Ascione on drums. In a program of well-known standards, Smith impresses the listener with his swinging, dynamic and even fiery pianism on fast tunes and beautiful touch and harmonic elegance on slow numbers.

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1 min read

SACD

Derek Smith – To Love Again (2009) [Japan 2017] [SACD / Venus Records – VHGD-259]

adminOctober 20, 2025 43 Views

Title: Derek Smith – To Love Again (2009) [Japan 2017]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

A jazz pianist noted for his versatility and elegance, Derek Smith, originally from London, has been playing professionally in the US since 1957. He remains relatively unknown in the US but is strongly admired by fellow musicians and ardent fans. Following his successful debut Beautiful Love, a trio album, Smith went into the studio by himself this time to record a solo album at the suggestion of Venus producer Tetsuo Hara. A program of well-known touch and harmonic elegance, romantic and even dreamy interpretations and an undeniable sense of jazz and swing.

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1 min read

SACD

Derek & The Dominos – Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2016] [SACD / Polydor – UIGY-15030]

adminOctober 20, 2025 45 Views

Title: Derek & The Dominos – Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2016]
Genre: Blues, Blues Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Derek & the Dominos was a group formed by guitarist/singer Eric Clapton (born Eric Patrick Clapp, March 30, 1945, Ripley, Surrey, England) with other former members of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, in the spring of 1970. The rest of the lineup was Bobby Whitlock (b. 1948, Memphis, TN) (keyboards, vocals), Carl Radle (b. 1942, Oklahoma City, OK – d. May 30, 1980) (bass), and Jim Gordon (b. 1945, Los Angeles) (drums). The group debuted at the Lyceum Ballroom in London on June 14 and undertook a summer tour of England. From late August to early October, they recorded the celebrated double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (November 1970) with guitarist Duane Allman sitting in. They then returned to touring in England and the U.S., playing their final date on December 6. The Layla album was successful in the U.S., where “Bell Bottom Blues” and the title song charted as singles in abbreviated versions, but it did not chart in the U.K. The Dominos reconvened to record a second album in May 1971, but split up without completing it. Clapton then retired from the music business, nursing a heroin addiction.

Wishing to escape the superstar expectations that sank Blind Faith before it was launched, Eric Clapton retreated with several sidemen from Delaney & Bonnie to record the material that would form Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. From these meager beginnings grew his greatest album. Duane Allman joined the band shortly after recording began, and his spectacular slide guitar pushed Clapton to new heights. Then again, Clapton may have gotten there without him, considering the emotional turmoil he was in during the recording. He was in hopeless, unrequited love with Patti Boyd, the wife of his best friend, George Harrison, and that pain surges throughout Layla, especially on its epic title track. But what really makes Layla such a powerful record is that Clapton, ignoring the traditions that occasionally painted him into a corner, simply tears through these songs with burning, intense emotion. He makes standards like “Have You Ever Loved a Woman” and “Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down and Out)” into his own, while his collaborations with Bobby Whitlock – including “Any Day” and “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?” – teem with passion. And, considering what a personal album Layla is, it’s somewhat ironic that the lovely coda “Thorn Tree in the Garden” is a solo performance by Whitlock, and that the song sums up the entire album as well as “Layla” itself.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

(more…)

3 min read

SACD

Depeche Mode – Playing The Angel (2005) [LCDStumm260 – 2005 Deluxe Edition] [SACD / Mute Records – LCDSTUMM260]

adminOctober 14, 2025 75 Views

Title: Depeche Mode – Playing The Angel (2005) [LCDStumm260 – 2005 Deluxe Edition]
Genre: Synth-pop
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Playing the Angel is the eleventh studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2005 by Mute Records and in the United States and Canada on 18 October by Sire Records and Reprise Records. It was supported by the Touring the Angel tour.
When Ultra was declared the best Depeche Mode album since Violator, those who said so must have forgotten about Songs of Faith and Devotion. When Exciter was declared the best Depeche Mode album since Violator, those who said so must have also forgotten about Songs of Faith and Devotion, in addition to having found a roundabout way of saying that it was merely better than Ultra. There’s no doubt this time: Playing the Angel is both the band’s best album since Violator and, more significantly, an album that is near Violator in stature. The biggest clue dropped by the band prior to its release was a quote from Dave Gahan, who said that being in Depeche Mode is better than it has been in 15 years. Some quick math reveals that Gahan was hinting at the Violator era, a time when the band’s creativity and popularity peaked synchronously. It also turns out that this is a time as good as any other to be paying attention to the band. Playing the Angel lacks Songs of Faith and Devotion’s end-to-end chest-beating, Ultra’s grinding murk, and Exciter’s desiccated patches. It takes the best qualities from those releases, combines them with a few subtle allusions to Violator — tiptoeing the border that separates retread from reinvention — and makes for a highly concentrated set of songs that all but demand to be heard in one uninterrupted shot. Gahan, still riding the confidence he gained as a songwriter from Paper Monsters, his 2003 solo debut, contributes three songs co-written with band associates Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott. Though none of them vie to be the album’s centerpiece, it’s apparent that the move wasn’t a concession of desperation on anyone’s part. The friendly competition seems to have kicked chief songwriter Martin Gore into high gear; he’s in top form. Musically, a lot of analog gear was used, and it’s apparent that the arrangements and extra sounds were less fussed over than they have been in the recent past. You get the sense that everything fell into place, as opposed to being forced or aimlessly manipulated. Despite the favoring of older gear, there’s no other year in which any of the songs could’ve been made. Like the best Depeche Mode, almost everything on the album will make an initial wowing impact while remaining layered enough in subtle details to surprise and thrill with repeated listens. It is not the kind of album a 25-year-old band is supposed to make. ~~ AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman

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3 min read

SACD

Depeche Mode – Exciter (2001) [DMCD10 – 2007 Remaster] [SACD / Mute Records – DMCD10]

adminOctober 14, 2025 49 Views

Title: Depeche Mode – Exciter (2001) [DMCD10 – 2007 Remaster]
Genre: Synth-pop
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Exciter is the tenth studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released in the United Kingdom on 14 May 2001 by Mute Records and in the United States on 15 May by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Mark Bell of Björk and LFO fame. The album also launched the Exciter Tour, one of the band’s most successful tours. Exciter debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart and at number eight on the Billboard 200, selling 115,000 copies in its first week in the US.It is the only Depeche Mode album to debut higher in the US than in the UK. As of April 2006, Exciter had sold more than 426,000 copies in the US, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was also certified Gold in Canada for shipments of 50,000 units.The remastered album was released on “deluxe” vinyl 30 March 2007 in Germany and 1 October 2007 internationally. The plant that appears on the cover is the agave attenuata, a species of agave sometimes known as the “lion’s tail”, “swan’s neck,” or “foxtail” for its development of a curved stem, unusual among agaves. It is used to produce tequila.

It’s rare to find bands capable of keeping their own best qualities to the fore while trying something new each time out, but Depeche Mode demonstrate that balance in full on the marvelous Exciter. Arguably the first album made by the group as a cohesive unit since Violator (and bearing some resemblance to that record in overall title and song names — compare “The Sweetest Condition” with “The Sweetest Perfection”), Exciter finds the trio again balancing pop catchiness with experimental depths. As with Ultra, an outside producer helps focus the end results in new, intriguing directions — in this case, said producer is Mark Bell, known for his work with Björk but also as part of Warp Records’ flagship act LFO, which always acknowledged their own debut to Depeche. Bell’s ear for minimal, crisp beats and quick, subtle arrangements and changes suit Martin Gore’s songs beautifully. If there are few storming arena-shaking numbers this time out, the exquisite delicacy throughout is addicting, with Gore’s guitar providing slippery and stinging leads to the smoky, romantic flow of Exciter. “When the Body Speaks” is a particular winner, his gentle work and a backing string section combining just right. David Gahan’s voice, already audibly benefiting from lessons on Ultra, is even more supple and passionate than before, ranging from the fuller delivery on the snaky charm of “Shine” to the haunting album-closer, “Goodnight Lovers,” a romantic lullaby with perfect counterpoint backing vocals. Gore’s own singing remains equally fine, as does his lyrical obsessions on, well, obsession — “Breathe,” which quotes more Bible names per verse than most preachers, makes for a good example on both fronts. When the band fully crank it up, the results work there too — “The Dead of Night” makes for a far superior nod to Gore’s glam roots and Depeche’s own industrial dance descendants than Songs of Faith and Devotion’s “Rush” did. ~~ AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett

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3 min read