I think I’m going back to listen to those two tracks specifically. I’m still in the “assessment” mode of my system. I just mentioned Bela Fleck - his recent album My Bluegrass Heart is really good. Features two of my favorite “newgrass” artists - Sierra Hull and Billy Strings.
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There is a whole lot of detail and layers in the backing voices and instrumentation on “Church”.
The more resolving my system has become, the more I have discovered over time. It is also a spectacularly “clean” recording (even in the lowly CD format) in my opinion/experience.
If you want to be a bit clinical, just listen to the first 50 to 90 seconds of Church over and over again as you fiddle with tweaks and speaker positioning. You will know “it” when you hear it.
Have fun with it.
Interesting story and quite the musician…
That says it perfectly! Bela is another favorite!
It is Francine Reed, indeed - good eye! (My understanding is that she lives in Phoenix, so that was a real bonus for us)
In my opinion, another great recording is “If I Were the Man You Wanted” off his “Lyle Lovett” album from 1986. His newest album “12th of June” is hit and miss for me, but I really like “The Mocking Ones” off of that album, and of course “12th of June”. Both are just so well written and recorded.
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I agree; but “12th of June” is a nice love letter/song…
I read recently that Francine Reed has officially retired from touring with “the Large Band”, but is doing some local stuff (maybe the concert you went to for example) and otherwise performing on an ad-hoc basis.
Hey John. Since you were the first to reply back about it, I’ll reply to you. Last night I listened to Road to Ensenada. The first few cuts didn’t really strike me as much as Joshua Judges Ruth from an audiophile standpoint - not bad, mind you, just not quite as attention-getting as JJR. But then I heard the cut “Promises”. My God, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything so present, so intimate. Every fiber of me was transfixed. And I laughed out loud at “Long Tall Texan” because I am a huge fan of Randy Newman and whenever anyone uses him to do background “comments” knows that it will have a powerful impact. A recent song by Brandy Clark from her 2020 album Your Life is a Record features Newman doing the same thing in the song “Bigger Boat”, which has a lot to say about our current culture. It’s a good recording too. Finally, the song “Christmas Morning” made me wonder why I’d never heard it during the holidays - might be too realistic. Thanks again for the suggestion.
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Hey Scotte1. I went back and listened again to “Church.” I’m assuming the “magic”" you’re referring to in the opening minute is the incredible bass? One thing I really love about my system is not only that it lets me truly FEEL very low bass, but that I can actually HEAR what notes are being played. I can tell what instrument is playing it. Now if I was supposed to be looking for something else, please let me know. Something else I am really noticing in a better-resolving system is the real detail and precision of softer, almost imperceptible sounds - like the lightest touching of a drum or the quietest high harmonic of a violin string - where I can not just HEAR it, but can hear its entire envelope - attack, delay, sound characteristics, etc. What a treat - like seeing a great painting in good enough light to study the quality of brush strokes.
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Yes, the first part of the track offers a certain clarity and tone; with some nice lower midrange/upper bass. When its clean, snappy and resonant (with an audible decay that lingers), you kind of know you have things pretty much dialed in.
I think Mr. Lovett’s voice and the clapping is very clear and distinct. If the clapping does not literally sound like a group of individual hands clapping (I hope that makes sense), then you have some more (fun) work to do.
IME/YMMV,
Cheers.
My first Lovett album, a keeper
Super stage and foci; carefully produced
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Great descriptor…love it (no pun intended)…
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I’ll listen next for the the clarity and tone OTHER than the bass - I loved the bass so much, it distracted me! And the lingering decay (which reminds me that I need to go to the dentist), but OH YEAH on the hand clapping! Like you’re right in the middle and each person’s clap can be identified in tone and distance. I’m actually a big fan of good hand-claps if they’re recorded well.
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I’ll give that a listen Gary. I had someone over last weekend who wanted to hear some Johnny Cash on a good system and I didn’t have a really good recommendation.
Same here. The intimacy and fidelity of “Promises” is a reference cut for me, and personal reminder of the aftermath of a relationship gone bad. Cuts to the bone.
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Just wanted to reply back to make sure you’re still with us. Yeah, I’ve got a few songs in my life that cut to the bone of a lost relationship. When someone questions my theory that audio is more powerful than video, I ask them, “Is there a picture that evokes the same level of emotion over a breakup as a song in your world?” Very rarely do I get “the picture”.
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