Mary Chapin Carpenter, Time * Sex * Love (SACD stereo/multichannel), Columbia Records, 2001 Performance 9 | Sound 8 | Mary Chapin Carpenter is unusual in the Nashville scene in that she writes virtually all her own material, but then, it’s a mystery to me how Carpenter, essentially a country-folk singer/songwriter, ever made it from Washington DC’s '80s folk scene to the cliquey world of Nashville’s music business in the first place. Although she works from time with Nashville’s top songwriters – Gary Burr collaborates on three songs here, and one is co-written with long-time partner guitarist John Jennings – much of the work is purely her own, and she takes a strong line, including some fairly feminist content over the years, which has not always enthused country radio. Well, they’re missing out in this case, as I would rate “Time* Sex* Love*” as one of her best, coming a good five years after the release of “A ...

Virigin Records performance 8 sound 9 released 2002 original release 1973 At first glance, it would seem completely ridiculous for AudioRevolution’s first review of a brand-new audio format to concern a reissue of an album originally released in 1973. But actually, it’s thoroughly appropriate, as you will see. Super Audio CD is the answer Sony and Philips (the people who invented the CD in the first place) are offering to the advent of DVD-Audio. The latter is essentially an extension of what we already know: a digital audio technology called PCM (Pulse Code Modulation). DVD, and DVD-A in particular, just has more bits and higher sampling rates than CD. SACD, on the other hand, is based on an entirely different principle, called Direct Stream Digital (DSD). The differences between, and challenges of, these two media are discussed elsewhere.

artist: Journey function popUp(URL,NAME) { amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,'location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10'); amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write(""); document.close(); album: Greatest Hits format: SACD - stereo non hybrid label: Columbia release year: 2001 performance: 8 sound 8 reviewed by: Jerry Del Colliano Have you ever been to MulletsGalore.com? If this site dedicated to bad hair could afford it, they would likely stream hit songs by Journey for you to listen to while you peruse the tasteless, time-warped hairdos. Now is listening to Journey tantamount to wearing a mullet? Absolutely not. In fact, the music of Journey is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. Having gotten their start as more of a hard rock band earlier in the 1970s, they softened their sound with the addition of frontman and vocalist Steve Perry. Disco-distracted audiences ate up the new sound, complete with soaring vocals, complex vocal harmonies and tasty, but not too edgy guitar work by Neil Schon.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir with the Orchestra at Temple Square - Craig Jessop Conducting, Telarc SACD (Hybrid Multichannel), 2001 | Performance 9 | Sound 9 | This is an example of the new generation of high-definition recordings that are coming out of recording technology leader Telarc, based in Cleveland OH. Unlike at least one other release, this is available in SACD (Sony/Philips Super Audio CD) format only: there is no equivalent DVD-A version.

artist: Miles Davis function popUp(URL,NAME) { amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,'location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10'); amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write(""); document.close(); album: Kind of Blue format: Multi-channel, non-hybrid SACD label: Columbia Legacy re-release year: 2003 performance: 10 sound 9 reviewed by: Jerry Del Colliano I can hear the cries from the audiophiles now – “Kind of Blue in Surround Sound… They’ve ruined it!” But in fact “they” haven’t. As one of the most high-profile releases in the growing catalog of SACD, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue has been gently remixed for SACD in a multi-channel format that takes advantage of additional speakers (mostly front speakers) to create a wider and more open soundstage for an album that every true music enthusiast owns (possibly in several editions).