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For turntable junkies only, this is a review of the VINYL LP SOUND QUALITY, not the music (plenty of excellent customer reviews already). For more vinyl LP recommendations, see the list on my profile page.
Update 10/15/2019:
I just got a second copy of this album and this one says "Made in Germany," so they've switched pressing plants. This copy sounds even quieter (!) but it's ever-so-slightly less crisp and "punchy" in the transient notes (bass, guitar, drums, piano). This may well be due to when it was made in the press run (i.e., later rather than earlier). So, equally excellent vinyl pressing, just different. Still highly recommended.
--
11-8-2017 (original review)
SHORT REVIEW: Wow. If you’re a vinyl LP nut, and new to Diana Krall, this is THE vinyl LP of hers to hear first. In the three weeks I’ve owned this, I’ve played it nearly every single day. Highly recommended.
—
LONG REVIEW:
Why I L-O-V-E this LP:
* Tracks are spread out generously over 3 disc sides (side D is blank!). Result: The lo-fi inner groove area is unused on all sides—i.e., every track gets premium real estate and sounds fantastique.
* “Velvet black” noise floor. Turn that quiet up and what you'll hear is not alot: no hiss, crackle, pops, or “ripping-velco-blast” dropouts (caused by bubbles in the vinyl). True at least for my copy. Quieter than many $50 “audiophile” LP reissues. Maybe I just got lucky.
* Very wide dynamic and frequency range. A low-key, intimate album as the title suggests, but with visceral punchy acoustic bass and in Krall's fortissimo piano moments, brass-bell-like jazz guitar, airy brushed cymbals, and natural “in the room” vocals.
* Unwarped, yay. The only reason I prefer 180-gram vinyl (I own many 125-140gm records with superb sound quality). Tip: Just to be safe, don’t order LPs in the heat of summer if possible!
* Superb miking, mixing, and lacquer cutting. I’m especially blown away at the energy, pluck, and “slam” of Christian McBride’s soulful acoustic bass work.
* For “all-analog” OCD nerds like me: This is a modern recording so of course it’s digitally recorded (hi-rez 192-Hz 24-bit I'm guessing)—but it sounds better than many of the best vintage and reissued all-analog LPs that I’ve paid 2-3 times as much for.
* Who to thank: Producer Tommy LiPuma, recording engineer Al Schmitt, and vinyl LP mastering by either Jett Galindo or founder Eric Boulanger of The Bakery. According to The Bakery website, both are veteran musicians and learned to cut lacquer with the late great Doug Sax of The Mastering Lab. Check out their impressive bios at their website.
* If you love the sound of Diana Krall’s audiophile favorite “All for You” LP, this is recorded and mixed in a VERY similar vein (and cut with the same skill as "All for You"'s Bernie Grundman mastering). Plus, you get the added sizzle of brushes & drums on this album.
* Top-notch disc mastering setup: Per The Bakery’s website: “Neumann VMS 70 lathe with the SX-74 cutterhead” (modded thoroughly, no doubt).
* Stamped at United Record Pressing, Nashville TN (per a UK LP record website). They've been around since 1959 and, like other mega-volume pressing plants such as Rainbo, their quality control has been both praised and slammed from year to year. This pressing is tops—as good as any Pallas or QRP disc I own.
* Okay, I’m reviewing the music for just one track: “Blue Skies” (the last cut). !!!!! What a gorgeous homage to Thelonious Monk’s “In Walked Bud” (which, in turn, is an homage to pianist Bud Powell). It gave me the chills...trying not to wear out this gem of a track.
The takeaway for me is that sublime sound quality can indeed be found in a “commercial,” “non-audiophile” vinyl LP releases at a great price—and this is definitely a must have.
Note: As you likely already know, how “good” a record sounds depends on a lot of things—the way it was recorded, mixed, mastered (physically cut to the lacquer), electro-plated, how fresh the metal stamper was in its run, pressing plant quality control, your own hearing quirks, etc. So, your mileage can vary for any given vinyl pressing.
Disclaimer: I am not associated with the record label, manufacturer, artists, or Amazon in any way. Just another obsessed vinyl junkie.
Happy listening, whatever you’re playing!
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Reviews with images
Fantastic vinyl pressing!
The vinyl pressing is exquisite. Wonderful transparency and dead quiet backgrounds. This is one of those records you can play for your friends to show them why you love vinyl so much. And the music!! It's perfect Diana Krall for me. Sparse instrumentation that lets her voice shine.
