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COMPACT DISC SUPERAUDIO DVD BLU-RAY VINYL DOWNLOAD

LADY A FRANCESCO PIEMONTESI, SCO/ OLIVE BROWN
On This Winter’s Night (Deluxe) (96kHz/24-bit) ANDREW MANZE Empress Of The Blues (DSD64/128/256/512/DXD)
www.hdtracks.com; Capitol Records Nashville 509994 04818 2 1 Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos 19 and 27, Rondo K386 www.nativedsd.com; 2xHD JA1184
With a title like that, one might expect (192kHz/24-bit, FLAC) No, me neither – but not having discovered
a cosy, huddled round the fi re album www.linnrecords.com; Linn CKD622 Olive Brown until now is defi nitely my
like the many festive offerings to have Mozart’s K459 (No 19) is a wholly extrovert loss, as is clear from a listen to this latest
appeared in recent years, complete with work well suited to this young Swiss restoration project from the wonderful
folksy instrumentation and ethereal vocals pianist’s manner, whereas K595, the 2xHD label. Drawing on three of Brown’s
seemingly designed for a John Lewis ad. composer’s last piano concerto, brings one 1970s albums for the Jazzology label, this
But that’s not what you get here from the or two doubts. Whether or not you feel compilation has been put together by

outfit formerly known as Lady Antebellum this is an ‘autumnal’ piece (and the booklet converting the original analogue tapes
– latterly rebranded despite the existence note suggests Mozart was just looking for via a custom-tubed Nagra and the label’s
of a blues singer of the same name. Lady a new approach) there is an underlying in-house-designed ADC, and pretty special it
A’s take on a seasonal album, originally inwardness. The little fl ourishes Piemontesi sounds. Yes, the tracks are defi nitely period

released in 2012 as an expansion of an gives the finale add exuberance, but in pieces, but it’s clear that Brown, who died
earlier six-track EP, is big, blowsy and the Larghetto he cannot leave the writing almost 40 years ago at just 60, both had

bold. This good-time country take on alone, and I do find his interventionist serious pipes on her and could make even
familiar tunes, with lush arrangements and decorations – however justified in historical familiar music by the blues greats her own.

instrumentation, sounds suitably punchy terms – excessive. In these clean, well- She’s aided here by a band made up of
and dynamic in its ‘Deluxe’ guise. The balanced recordings the Scottish winds old-school battle-hardened jazzers – listen
saving grace in this good ol’ sentimentifest really shine, Manze’s bold accompaniments to them delivering ‘How Come You Do Me
is the quality of the harmonies the trio keeping pace with the soloist yet rather Like You Do’, and I defy you not to smile.
produce, at least when they manage to lacking individuality. The cadenzas all have However, be aware that there’s some
soar above the glossy production. AE an improvisatory feel: excellent. CB confusion in the track-listing here. AE
Sound Quality: 80% Sound Quality: 80% Sound Quality: 80%
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LAB REPORT LAB REPORT LAB REPORT

Recorded loud – every track peaks within Another Philip Hobbs production for Brown’s ’70s tapes are captured in DXD

just 0.1dB of digital clipping (0dBFs) Linn, this 192kHz file shows the slight and resampled to DSD64-512. Encoding
– the effective dynamic range of this rise in ultrasonic noise and spuriae at 86- leaves the MSB untouched so peaks are
seasonal blast is limited to the top 1-2 of 94kHz seen before [HFN Jun ’20] but the –6dBFs or lower. Limited ~20kHz range
its 24-bits. But, no doubt, every ‘Hz’ of its bandwidth is well used (strings to 40kHz) means there’s no difference in content
~48kHz bandwidth is filled with song! PM and peaks do not exceed –0.2dBFs. PM from DSD64 to DSD128 [black]. PM

DECEMBER 2020 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 97