Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC, Jazznart Records JNA7014 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Belgian singer/songwriter Caroll Vanwelden takes another stab at the Bard’s back-catalogue with this collection – the follow-up to her first disc of sonnets, released a couple of years back. Ms Vanwelden has a decent set of pipes, which are unleashed full-blast on tracks such as her take on Sonnet 124: ‘If My Dear Love’. She is well recorded, as is her backing trio of Thomas Siffling (brass), Mini Schulz (bass) and Rodrigo Villalon (drums), even if the overall sound is perhaps a bit ‘in yer face’ and relentless in some instances. However, her vocal style is somewhat mannered, at times sounding almost like a parody of female jazz singers, and the incongruity of this and the words being sung, plus a sense that there’s often a disconnect between the subject-matter of the sonnet and the music we hear, makes this set something of an acquired taste. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

While this is a genuine 96kHz recording I’m given to wonder whether much of the energy from 20-40kHz comprises brassy harmonics or simply ultrasonic distortion from the cymbal mic(s) or compressors further downstream. PM