Favourite CD of 1996 (released in 1996): (Tie!)
Shawn Colvin, A Few Small Repairs
Michelle Shocked, Kind Hearted Woman
Click to Access Reviews.
Volume 1 - Up to March 1997 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Mary Black, Shine | Digital | Forward | ||||
Michelle Shocked, Kind Hearted Woman | Natural | Forward | ||||
Sarah MacLachlan, Touch | Digital | Middle | ||||
Suzanne Vega, Nine Objects of Desire | Clear | Forward | ||||
Tori Amos, Boys for Pele | Clear | Forward | ||||
Amanda McBroom, Dreaming | Analogue | Middle | ||||
Dee Carsensten, Regarding the Soul | Clear | Forward | ||||
Dente, Ashton, Becker, Along the Road | Clear | Forward | ||||
Mary Black, Circus | Clear | Forward |
Volume 2 - up till May 97 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Patricia Barber, Cafe Blue | Natural | Laid-back | ||||
Jann Arden, Living Under June | / | Digital | Middle | |||
Sarah MacLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy | Clear | Forward | ||||
Twila Paris, Where I stand | Clear- | Forward | ||||
Holly Cole, It Happened One Night | Natural | Middle | ||||
Holly Cole Trio, Yesterday and Today | Analogue | Middle | ||||
Holly Cole Trio, Temptation | Vague/Dark | Middle | ||||
Holly Cole Trio, Don't Smoke in Bed | Clear | Forward | ||||
Sarah MacLachlan, The Freedom Sessions | Clear | Forward |
Volume 3 - up to August 97 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Lori Lieberman, a Thousand Dreams | Natural | Laid-back | ||||
Nancy Bryan, Lay me Down | Natural | Middle | ||||
Idde Shultz, Idde Shultz | Digital | Forward | ||||
Alison Krauss & Union Station, So long so wrong | Clear | Forward | ||||
Alison Krauss, Now that I've Found You | Clear | Forward | ||||
Rita Coolidge, Behind the Memories | Digital | Forward | ||||
Jennifer Warnes, The Hunter | Clear+ | Middle | ||||
Natalie Merchant, TigerLily (US press much better) | Clear-/
Clear+ |
Forward | / | |||
Rita Coolidge, Out of the Blue | Analogue | Middle |
Volume 4 - October 97 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Janis Ian, Breaking Silence | Natural | Laid-back | ||||
Sara Hickman, Misfits | Digital | ... | ||||
Sarah MacLachlan, Surfacing | Clear | Forward | ||||
Christy Baron, I Thought about You | Natural | Laid-Back | ||||
Amanda McBroom, A Waiting Heart | Clear | Middle | ||||
Julia Fordham, East West | Vague | Middle | ||||
10,000 Maniacs, MTV unplugged | Digital | Middle | ||||
Beth Nielsen Chapman, Sand & Water | Digital | Forward | ||||
Shawn Colvin, Live in '88 | Clear | Forward |
Volume 5 - Dec 97 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Holly Cole, Dark Dear Heart | Clear | Mid/Dark | ||||
Lesley Garrett, (various) | / | Clear | Middle | |||
Trish Yearwood, Songbook | Clear- | Middle | ||||
Diana Krall, Love Scenes | Natural | Forward | ||||
Cecilia, Voice of the Feminine Spirit | Clear- | Middle | ||||
Bonnie Raitt, Luck of the Draw | Digital | Middle | ||||
Tina Arena, In Deep | Digital | Middle | ||||
Jewel, Pieces of You | Clear | Middle | ||||
Kiki Dee, Almost Naked | Clear | Forward |
Volume 6 - Jan 98 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Nanci Griffith, One Fair Summer Evening | Clear | Middle | ||||
Joan Baez, Gone from Danger | Clear | Forward | ||||
Nanci Griffith, Blue Roses from the Moon | Clear | Forward | ||||
Time & Love: the music of Laura Nyro | / | Clear | Forward | / | ||
Texas, White on Blonde | Digital | Forward | ||||
Nancy Griffith, Lone Star State of Mind | Clear/Thin | Middle | ||||
Joan Baez, Play me Backwards | Clear | Forward | ||||
Janis Ian, Hunger | Natural | Middle | ||||
Beth Nielsen Chapman, eponymous | Clear | Forward |
Volume 7 - Jan 98 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Jann Arden, Happy? | Clear | Forward | ||||
Trisha Yearwood, Everybody Knows | Clear- | Middle | ||||
Mary Chapin Carpenter, a Place in the World | Clear | Forward | ||||
Nanci Griffith, Storms | Thin | Middle | ||||
Dar Williams, Mortal City | Clear | Forward | ||||
Tanya, Bored | Digital | Middle | ||||
Suzanne Vega, Sessions at West 54th | Clear | Middle | ||||
Mary Black, Wonder Child Special Edition | Clear | Forward | ||||
Julia Fordham, Love Moves (Special Edition) | Clear- | Middle |
Volume 8- Mar98 | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Rebecca Pidgeon, Four Marys | Natural | Forward | ||||
Iris DeMent, The Way I Should | Clear+ | Mid/For | ||||
The Corrs, Talk on Corners | Digital | Forward | ||||
Roseanna Vitro, Catching Some Rays | Analogue | Mid/Dark | ||||
Anne Murray, Crooning | Clear | Middle | ||||
Sarah McLachlan, Solace | Clear- | Forward | ||||
Jennifer Robin, Eye of the Storm | Clear+ | Middle |
Volume 9- Sep 98 (under construction) | Overall | Voice | Clarity | Balance | Sound stage | Resolution |
Bonnie Raitt, Fundamental | Clear | Forward | ||||
Nanci Griffith, Other Voices, Too | Clear | Middle | ||||
Natalie Merchant, Ophelia | Clear | Middle | ||||
Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shooting Str in the Dark | Clear | Middle | ||||
Matraca Berg, Sunday Morning to Sat Night | Clear | Middle |
Great sound | From 1-3 stars Good, very Good, Excellent album |
Voice | As reflected in this recording. Voice, phrasing, diction, timing, expressiveness. Affected by recording quality |
Clarity | Natural :- The best
Analogue :- warm sounding, but not as clear as 'clear' below. Clear:- Typical of good modern recordings, clearer than analogue but not as warm Digital:- Though clear, leads to feelings of digititis. Vague:- Not very good. Note: Sometimes the voice is clear but the music isn't; my rating will favour vocal clarity |
Balance | Forward/Middle/Laidback
There is also an attribute called 'dark' which refers to a lack of treble energy though detail and clarity is not really affected. |
Soundstage | Of course, it could be studio processed, but that itsn't relevant. |
Resolution | Maybe I should have used the word detail. Objectively, bright recordings
would provide
more detail. So the thing to look for are laidback recordings with high resolution. |
- minus signs
/ slashes |
Clear- indicates it almost falls into 'vague', Clear+ means almost
audiophile 'natural'
Natalie Merchant gets x/x as soundstaging is variable amongst diff songs Some songs deserve some deserve less |