An Experiment

Good evening everyone. I wanted to take a moment to talk a bit about an album I have been listening to recently. This is my first attempt at what I will call a mini review.

The album in question is Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. For this recording Springsteen put together a whole new band just for this project, and they sound great together. At first glance it seems a little strange to have so large a group for music that has traditionally been so intimate. I for one do not often associate folk music with a horn section, but I feel the group works quite well. Springsteen really brings something of his own to this album of cover songs and the ensemble really comes to together well. From the boisterous, almost raucous Dixie-ish sound of Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep and Jacob's Ladder to the solemn Erie Canal to the powerful, almost haunting Eyes On The Prize the assembled musicians collaborate masterfully.

I feel there is one hole however, and surprisingly it is the title track We Shall Overcome. This song is so simple, so powerful on its own that it feels like Springsteen and his group really try to do to much with it. I feel this track is overly busy and complex. It feels like Springsteen may have been better off recording this a cappella, or perhaps just him and his guitar. As it is on the album the performance overwhelms the song.

Other than We Shall Overcome the album is a splendid production, and even that track in no way lessens the others. All in all I feel it is a wonderful album and I highly recommend it. So much so that I bought it for my mother for Mother's Day.

The Other Side

Well hello folks I am back. I apologize for the break in the action, but I have been doing some extended listening, and I am pleased to report that I believe I have found my speakers. I have been auditioning these in my home for over a week now, and in that time they have impressed my with their abilities, especially given their small size and relatively small price. And what speakers are they you ask? Why the Rainmakers from Totem Acoustic.

I must say it was a tough decision. Their main competitors last week were the Studio 20s from Paradigm, which I have mentioned before. The Studio 20s were a bit more detailed I felt, like more information was being conveyed, which is a good thing. Plus the Studio 20s were less expensive, which is a something to consider. But when it came down to it I felt the Rainmakers were more lively, more lifelike. The best way I can explain it was that while listening What Would You Say on Under the Table and Dreaming by Dave Matthews Band on the Studio 20s, I felt that I was hearing a well reproduced recording of a harmonica, but while listening to the Rainmakers I felt like I was hearing a harmonica. The Rainmakers really brought the music into the room. They are great little speakers.

But as I said the decision was not the easiest. I had to pass up a great deal on a great amp, but the amp was not being utilized to its full potential with the speakers I had before the Rainmakers. So I feel that I have made the right choice, and while it was a long week of weighing the options, I believe I have come out on the other side with the beginnings of a truly fine audio system. Now I just need to start exploring integrateds....