Paul McCartney: Paul Is Live in Concert
Universal Music 116613190
Format: DVD-Video

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Picture Quality
Overall Enjoyment

This 1993 concert mixes equal portions of Paul McCartney’s bona fide classics with some not-so-memorable cuts. Sir Paul manages to muster equal amounts of high energy and showmanship throughout, but it’s apparent which songs he treasures most. The DVD production, which looks and sounds as if pulled from a 10-year-old VHS dub, is a major disappointment. I know of several multichannel recordings remastered from 1970s source tapes that sound a hundred times better than these noisy, anemic transfers. Considering that this is a DVD, the video quality is even more disappointing. Although the black-and-white sequences add emotional punch to some songs, the color-distorting effects are childish and distracting. Concert DVDs should be about watching musicians perform their songs, not figuring out how many cheesy effects can be added to a frame of video....Anthony Di Marco

Rhythm, Love & Soul: The Sexiest Songs of R&B Performances Live, Vol. 1
Sony Music SON99932
Format: DVD-Video

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Picture Quality
Overall Enjoyment

The excellent video quality of this PBS special, and the fact that it was produced in 2003, led me to hope that it had been recorded with the best audio technology available, too. One minute into the program and that hope was dashed: Audience applause and other superfluous clamor increase the noise floor to the point that much of the vocals and some of the instrumental work are drowned out. This is a shame, considering that this may be the only chance to capture such a fantastic collection of artists in one venue. Roots and blues legends such as Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, and Gloria Gaynor perform beautifully, and with as much passion and soul as one could hope for. Having recently reviewed Frank Zappa’s Halloween -- a concert recorded almost two decades ago -- I wonder how the PBS producers managed to make this production sound as if it had been captured with one microphone and a $20 tape deck....Anthony Di Marco

Astor Piazzolla: Tangazo, Tres Movimientos Tanguísticas Porteños, Milonga del Angel, Sinfonietta
Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen; Gabriel Castagna, conductor.
Chandos CHSA 5006
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Argentine bandoneón virtuoso Astor Piazzolla played tango bars until he realized a dream to compose serious music. He studied with his countryman Alberto Ginastera, then went to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger. When he returned to Argentina, he composed pieces using what was called the tango nuevo, writing flowing, sophisticated melodies interrupted by slashing dissonant chords and exciting, unpredictable rhythms. His style is ideally captured in these elegant, sensual, virtuoso performances. The advanced-resolution recorded sound is smooth and clean. Every detail is clear, even in jagged passages for full orchestra, and there’s just the right amount of rear-channel action to provide a sense of space without losing any detail. This winner of a SACD provides a wonderful adventure off the beaten track....Rad Bennett

Alan Lomax: Popular Songbook
Rounder 82161-1863-6
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

This release brings the field recordings of Alan Lomax to the new medium of advanced-resolution SACD. Just as his work helped light the torch of cultural equity in the arts, this disc brings new clarity and definition to the music-making of the folk artists themselves. Listen to something like "Motherless Children," with Felix Dukes accompanied by Fred McDowell on a twangy, pithy guitar that sounds as if it’s right in the room. Many studio recordings don’t sound that authentic. Take the recording-quality rating with a grain of salt, however; the sessions are not of equal quality. The transfer, though, is impeccable from beginning to end, allowing us to hear such American classics as Leadbelly, Memphis Slim, and Woody Guthrie in all their unadorned glory....Rad Bennett

ATB: Addicted to Music
Radikal 900062
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Hearing the Dido-esque track "Long Way Home" was enough for me to pick up DJ Andre Tenneberger’s fourth studio effort and find out what ATB was all about. What I found was a very consistent and enjoyable dance record with a big, theatrical edge. Every song, including "In Love with the DJ" and the knockout "Peace = Illusion," is full of effervescent energy and bracingly infectious melodies. I don’t typically listen to dance music -- to me, most of the genre is painfully repetitive and lacks genuine emotional punch -- but Tenneberger has the soulful side covered. Vocalist Roberta Carter Harrison adds a sweetness to each song that pulls Addicted to Music beyond its artificially sequenced roots. This is neither high art nor the last word in music production, but it gets the blood moving and the soul soaring....Anthony Di Marco