Stacey Kent - The Changing Lights - 180g 2LP

Product no.: PPAN17529
Stacey Kent - The Changing Lights - 180g 2LP
£42.95
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AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head

Pure Pleasure - PPAN 17529 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue

 Audiophile Mastering by Ray Staff at Air Mastering London

Limited Edition - Pressed at Pallas Germany 

Sound 89% Ken Kessler hifi-News,    
Yet another 2LP set - The record labels telling us that more vinyl real estate means better sound. Kent's Latin-flavoured 2013 release (like Barber's in this month's batch) has an overall silkiness that marks it as audiophile-friendly, but that's the nature of the beast: well-recorded jazz vocals with a seductive feel can't sound any other way. Kent has 'form' with foreign language material, having issued the French album Reconte-Moi in 2010.
The Changing Lights takes us to Brazil, with samba numbers, subtle injections of South American beats and lyrics courtesy of Portuguese poet Antonio Ledeira, as well as French lyricist Bernie Beaupere.
 
Stacey Kent's "Changing Lights" album once again demonstrates her vocal mastery. The immaculate intonation, timing and diction are flawless to the point of sheer purity. Her voice becomes an instrument with impeccable clarity and minimal vibrato. Her focus on this album is largely Latin numbers switching English with clever changes into Portuguese, and French imperceptibly. There are covers of bossa nova numbers from Tom Jobim and two songs written by novelist and lyricist Kashou Ishiguro; namely the title song 'Changing Lights', a sublime number, and 'The Summer We Crossed Europe' a story gracefully sung by Ms. Kent. 'Waiter, Oh Waiter' is a neat request for help in choosing from a foreign menu. 'How Insensitive' is quite the opposite. The Brazilian 'One Note Samba' is a difficult number to handle at such pace with the short-spaced almost staccato notes; Stacey effortlessly takes the scale runs in her stride.
 
The arrangements and accompaniment of husband Jim Tomlinson are outstanding. The rhythm section is wonderfully subtle with particular praise for the percussionists, pianist Graham Harvey and the Latino guitarists' phrasing. However, this is Stacey Kent's record first and foremost; impressive and top class.  - ACB
 
For those of you unfamiliar with vocalist Stacey Kent, she’s an American who lives in England – for that matter, she’s married to an Englishman, her sax player Jim Tomlinson – they met while studying at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Stacey speaks fluent French, along with Portuguese, Italian and German, and this obviously informs her musical choices and helps her music transcend international boundaries. A few years ago, she recorded a live album in Rio de Janiero, and that experience brought her very close to Brazilian and bossa nova music, which is the subject of her current album, The Changing Lights.
 
Produced and arranged by Jim Tomlinson, The Changing Lights combines not only classic bossa songs such as “One Note Samba” and “How Insensitive”, but also explores more current Brazilian music from noted musicians Dori Caymmi, Marcos Valle and Roberto Menescal, who performs on several of the albums tracks. The album also includes several originals in the bossa nova style penned in collaboration by Jim Tomlinson and acclaimed novelist Kazuo Ishiguro – these songs include the lilting title track as well as “The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain” – definitely one of the albums’ many highlights.
 
In terms of sound quality, this two LP set is off-the-charts good, and really showcases all the attributes that still make analogue reproduction a no-brainer
 
All Analogue Audiophile  Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London
 
Stacey Kent's latest recording again demonstrates her vocal mastery. The immaculate intonation, timing and diction are flawless to the point of sheer purity. Her voice becomes an instrument with impeccable clarity and minimal vibrato. The album’s musical focus is Brazilian, mixing classics with originals, while switching smoothly between English, Portuguese and French.
 
There are covers of Bossa Nova numbers from Tom Jobim, Roberto Menescal, Marcos Valle and others. Highlights include Jobim's How Insensitive, which is quietly and intensely melancholic, whilst the Jobim classic, One Note Samba, is given a cheeky up-tempo treatment. It is a difficult number to handle at such pace with the short-spaced, almost staccato notes. Stacey effortlessly takes the scale runs in her stride. Roberto Menescal’s O Barquinho is given a fresh arrangement and is performed by the composer himself on guitar.
 
Six originals by Jim Tomlinson make up the rest of the album, three written with novelist and lyricist, Kazuo Ishiguro; the sublime title song, The Changing Lights, The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain, a story gracefully sung by Ms Kent and Waiter, Oh Waiter, a neat and jaunty request for help in choosing from a French menu. Two songs in Portuguese, Mais Uma Vez and A Tarde, written with poet, Antonio Ladeira, and Chanson Légère, written with Bernie Beaupère, who penned the title track to Stacey’s Raconte-Moi, add yet more flavours to the album. The arrangements and accompaniment of producer and husband, Jim Tomlinson are outstanding. The rhythm section is wonderfully subtle with praise for the percussionists, Josh Morrison and Matt Home, pianist Graham Harvey, bassist, Jeremy Brown and the guitarists, Roberto Menescal and John Parricelli. However, The Changing Lights is Stacey Kent's record first and foremost; impressive and top class.
 
Explaining his and Stacey's musical process, Tomlinson elaborates on Kazuo Ishiguro's thoughts in his liner note of Stacey's 2001 Candid album, In Love Again. "Stacey's style reminds me of the best film actors who, on camera, develop a very different style to that of stage actors who are required to project their voices and gestures in order to express themselves across the space of the theatre. In film, an actor can do a lot with very little, whether in terms of expression, gesture, inflection or tone of voice. With Stacey, I believe that we create music in the same way, where even the smallest gestures have great emotional significance."
 
Musicians:
Stacey Kent: vocals, guitar (Side C2)
Jim Tomlinson: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Graham Harvey: piano, Fender Rhodes
Roberto Menescal: guitar (Side B3, Side D3)
John Parricelli: guitar (Side A2, A3, B1, B2, C1, D1, D4)
Jeremy Brown: double bass
Matt Home: drums (Side A1, C1, C2, D2)
Joshua Morrison: drums (Side A2, A3, B1, B2, D1, D4)
Raymundo Bittencourt: ganza (Side B3)
 
Selections:
 
Side A:
1. This Happy Madness
2. The Summer We Crossed Europe In The Rain
3. One Note Samba (Samba De Uma Nota Só) 
Side B:
4. Mais Uma Vez
5. Waiter, Oh Waiter
6. O Barquinho
 
Side C:
1. The Changing Lights
2. How Insensitive
3. O Bêbado E A Equilibrista / Smile 
Side D:
4. Like A Lover
5. The Face I Love
6. A Tarde
7. Chanson Légère
 
Recorded engineered Curtis Schwartz at Curtis Schwartz Studios, Ardingly, England during November 2012 & April 2013
Additional recording at Stirling Studios, Colorado
Additional recording at O Barquinho Studios, Rio de Janeiro
Engineer: Victor Borges
Mixed at Curtis Schwartz Studios, May 2013
 
Produced by Jim Tomlinson
O Barquinho arranged by Roberto Menescal,
All other music arranged by Jim Tomlinson
 
 
 
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