Drawn to all things... Ian Shaw

[Haselsh1]

Drawn To All Things
The Songs of Joni Mitchell
Ian Shaw


I bought this Hybrid SACD some time ago and have been giving it a serious listen just recently. Although it is a hybrid disc the ordinary CD layer is not that ordinary being as it is, HDCD. My prime CD player is an Original 2008F HDCD player so can really show this layer up for what it is... simply stunning...! Ian Shaw's voice is very closely miked and, I would say, with a valve microphone. The recording quality is astonishing. The instruments are precisely recorded and placed with everything being of stunning quality.

The SACD layer is just as good as the HDCD layer but is merely different in it's presentation. This layer is not quite so forceful and glassy being a lot more soft in the general presentation. Despite the general ideas and comments about SACD, I like it and prefer it to standard CD but the improvement over HDCD I think is minimal.

For anyone who likes very intimate, closely miked jazz, this disc is a near must. Linn Records AKD276.