Found 55 product(s) in the

R&B/Soul Music

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Product Reviews

Vanessa Fernandez - Use Me

Product No: AGRN 1050-45
Available: InStock
Category: 45 RPM Vinyl Record
Label: Groove Note

5 Stars
Posted Tuesday, March 5, 2019 by Anthony This is a very good "audiophile quality" recording. The vinyl is perfectly flat and quiet, the music is dynamic, the song choices both listenable and enjoyable. Vanessa has a distinct voice and delivery and sprinkled within is her own brand of soulfulness that could be described as perpendicular to, rather than parallel to the music. (The pimped-out Cadillacs had diamond shaped rear windows, not "diamondS in the back".) Overall, a successful endeavor.

Aretha Franklin - The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967-1970

Product No: AATL 571351
Available: InStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: Atlantic

PUNCHY MONO BASS

5 Stars
Posted Saturday, September 29, 2018 by Anonymous Both LPs are flat and quiet. I’m not sure if this is all analog although it sounds like it. This mono remaster is superb and bass has plenty of punch but no distortion.

Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On

Product No: CMOT 6846
Available: InStock
Category: Blu-ray Audio
Label: Motown

Good, but not great

4 Stars
Posted Friday, April 20, 2018 by Anonymous This is a review, for now only about the stereo mix - I have not listened to the multi-channel mix yet.

This sounds good, but not great for the Blu Ray Audio format. It is not on the quality level of Songs in the Key of Life, or Bob Marley's Legend Blu Ray releases as an example. It sounds good, but the release does not have the same depth and separation. It is not clear to me whether this release or the SACD would be better as I haven't done an A/B on those two versions.

Vanessa Fernandez - Use Me

Product No: XGRN1050D64
Available: InStock
Category: DSD (Single Rate) 2.8MHz/64fs Download
Label: Groove Note

5 Stars
Posted Monday, March 19, 2018 by Serge This album does not disappoint. The musical content is engaging and satisfying. Well recorded and mastered album exhibiting great dynamic range, analog like warmth and naturalness to the recorded instruments. Excellent resolution allowing your Hi-FI playback system to come alive and shine.

Sly & The Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On

Product No: XSON36287D64
Available: InStock
Category: DSD (Single Rate) 2.8MHz/64fs Download
Label: Epic/Legacy

Enjoyable but underwhelming

4 Stars
Posted Friday, October 27, 2017 by Frank This album does not impress me compared to other high res albums. There isn’t great seperatation, the vocals frequently sound quite muffled. The sound quality is also least impressive in the first couple of tracks, so the album really is kind of a let down on your first listen. (Others might argue this is all a function of the source material)

That said, the fidelity is there and the details open up at higher volume levels. The bass is very nice. Things pop out that remind me that i’m listening to a high res track.

If you are a fan of the artist or the genre, it’s worth a download. However, it won’t go on the playlist you use to impress your friends.

Stevie Wonder - The Original Musiquarium I

Product No: AMOT 36101
Available: InStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: Motown

Terrible sound

2 Stars
Posted Tuesday, September 12, 2017 by Anonymous Sounds very thin and compressed. Why would anyone remaster something as badly as this and believe it was acceptable?

2 stars is a gift, put a minus in front for my true rating. stick to a used copy until it is done correctly.

Sam Cooke - Portrait Of A Legend 1951-1964

Product No: XUNI26125D64
Available: InStock
Category: DSD (Single Rate) 2.8MHz/64fs Download
Label: Abkco

wow

5 Stars
Posted Monday, May 15, 2017 by Anonymous Just simply amazing sound!!

Sam Cooke - One Night Stand: Live At Harlem Square

Product No: ANASP 03
Available: InStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: Analog Spark

Poor quality

2 Stars
Posted Monday, March 20, 2017 by Tom I am a big Sam Cook fan but this is a poor quality live recording. I would avoid purchasing this LP!

Otis Redding - Otis Blue

Product No: CAPP 095 SA
Available: InStock
Category: Hybrid Stereo SACD
Label: Analogue Productions

Man I Hope There Are More!

5 Stars
Posted Tuesday, February 7, 2017 by Stephen Bieth I was very excited when I heard this was coming out and I wasn't disappointed. Yes there is some distortion (as do most early Stax releases) but over all the sound is a major improvement over the last reissue (and the reissue was good). I would love to see Otis's whole catalog come out. Including live releases. I spent three days on this planet while Otis was alive ( I was born December 7th 1967 and Otis died December 10th 1967) yet his impact on my love of music is huge. This is one of Otis's best, a lot would say it is his best. But in my opinion Otis never released a bad one. Buy the SACD because you will love it and if they gets sales maybe we will get more!

Otis Redding - Otis Blue

Product No: AAPP 095-45
Available: InStock
Category: 45 RPM Vinyl Record
Label: Analogue Productions

Otis at his best!

5 Stars
Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2016 by Jonathan Tinn This Otis Redding album has one hit after another. I can't get enough of this.

Great pressing, great performance, great musician!

Four Tops - Four Tops

Product No: XUNI755445F192
Available: InStock
Category: FLAC 192kHz/24bit Download
Label: UNI/Motown

A Sublime Early Motown Recording Done Well

5 Stars
Posted Friday, April 8, 2016 by Joe Hovey For their debut album, this was a great introduction to the Four Tops. While many early Motown recordings included a couple of hits, the rest of the songs were often times just "filler". But this one stands out - as each song showcases their vocal harmonies and lead vocals. Levi was a beast - man! could he sing! I purchased this download based on something I read over at PONO - mastered from the original analog 1/4" masters by Seth Foster over at Sterling Sound. One word to describe this hi res download - OPEN. Original Motown vinyl often sounds "fuzzy and dense" to my ears; their recordings weren't the best. A bit harsh to my ears. But this download is actually quite nice. Good balance on the instrumentation - not everything is playing at the same sound level. And of course, Levi's voice is front and center, clear and crisp! The instruments don't fight with the harmonies. No ear fatigue on this one!

Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You

Product No: XWAR2453F192
Available: InStock
Category: FLAC 192kHz/24bit Download
Label: Rhino Atlantic

Download Much Better than CD

5 Stars
Posted Monday, March 14, 2016 by Joe Hovey For me, this has always been Aretha's BEST. And I own it in the original vinyl, 4 Men with Beards release, and a '00 remaster from EU, as well as the RHINO Remastered CD from the 90's. But the original vinyl has always been my go-to as I feel it captures the rawness of the production, although the pops'n clicks do get a bit too much after a while. The CD was always too much "in my face". I felt that the instruments and Aretha's voice were on the same sound level - LOUD! - and it was hard to appreciate the nuances that the vinyl had. So I gave this a listen! First off - one can tell that it isn't LOUD! and the instruments and the voice don't compete with each other. There's a real nice separation between the two. It still has the rawness as the vinyl but one can appreciate the urgency in Aretha's voice on Respect and I Never Loved A Man much more than the CD. Almost as good as the original vinyl - and better than the other 2 vinyl releases I have.

Funkadelic - America Eats Its Young

Product No: A4MB 1791
Available: LimitedStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: 4 Men with Beards

Grammar?

5 Stars
Posted Thursday, October 29, 2015 by Anonymous Why do you guys add an apostrophe to the word 'its' in the title of this album?

Booker T & The MG's - McLemore Avenue

Product No: ASTA 8552
Available: LimitedStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: Stax

Great music terrible sound

1 Stars
Posted Tuesday, September 22, 2015 by Anonymous This album hurts my ears

The sound is so shrill. Great music, it is a shame

Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles

Product No: AATL 1312
Available: LimitedStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: Atlantic

Incredible let down

1 Stars
Posted Wednesday, August 19, 2015 by DeRosa Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of the Rhino re-issue program, I have many satisfying records by these fine folks, but this just isn't one of them. It's horrible. I had to look up some other references to find out why this classic record sounds so awful and distorted, and came across Steve Hoffman's comments on his challenges of remastering this great music. The overload and distortion is on the original tapes. Envision meters pegged into the red. Ray's voice frequently distorts, you'll keep turning the volume down, it sounds like your speakers are blown. There is no getting around the fact it's just the way it is. I'd skip this one, even at a low price it only make it more maddening these great performances sound terrible on this record.

Bill Withers - Just As I Am

Product No: ASUS 7006
Available: BackOrdered
Category: 180 Gram Vinyl Record
Label: Speakers Corner (Sussex)

Great Album / Good Remaster

4 Stars
Posted Friday, August 14, 2015 by TheSturt This is a great album and the remaster was as expected. Just plain ole good music to listen to and vinyl that was done with care. You won't go wrong by adding this to your collection.

Leon Bridges - Coming Home

Product No: ACOL 91419
Available: InStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: Columbia

Great Soul Debut

4 Stars
Posted Tuesday, July 21, 2015 by audiofan It's amusing to see this listed as an "alternative" music selection; this is mid-60s soul all the way, like Sam & Otis used to make. The vinyl is quite well-done - there were no noise problems or defects with my copy. The mix is (purposefully) reminiscent of the era mined by the music - it has one foot in the past (and I mean that in a positive way) but manages to sound both dynamic and 'analog' at the same time. A great new artist and a very decent pressing!

Bill Withers - Live At Carnegie Hall

Product No: CMOB 2156 SA
Available: InStock
Category: Hybrid Stereo SACD
Label: Mobile Fidelity

Bill Withers - Live At Carnegie Hall Hybrid SACD 2014

5 Stars
Posted Saturday, November 15, 2014 by Mark Powers I am not a big R&B person but this recording is now in my top 10 of live performances and I have been listening to music for quite awhile, a must purchase. Bill Withers voice is a pure and very strong true R&B voice. The band during this recording is perfect. It all comes together with a very enthusiastic live audience that you can hear throughout. Packaging is good with good liner notes. There are some issues here and there with the sonic quality's of the recording, some drops, announcer's mic doesn't seem to be on same board, sometimes the audience can get a little loud, very little things. The performance is so strong it blows away imperfections in the sonic quality. I am going to listen again, right now. If you are looking for a disc to take you out of your normal genre, this is it.

Average White Band - AWB

Product No: XWAR30869F192
Available: InStock
Category: FLAC 192kHz/24bit Download
Label: Demon

Swinging the funk in hi-res glory

5 Stars
Posted Thursday, October 2, 2014 by Gardner Campbell I love this album, and this Demon hi-res download has a huge 3D soundstage with great bass, beautifully clear and warm midrange, and great snap in the upper registers. Vocals and horns blossom into the listening room. The late Robbie McIntosh's swinging precision on drums has tremendous impact. The dynamic range is only minimally less (DR-11) than the earlier Atlantic CD (DR-12). A great hi-res release. Fans, do not hesitate. You're in for a treat.

Ray Charles - The Great Ray Charles

Product No: AATL 1259
Available: InStock
Category: Vinyl Record
Label: Atlantic

The Rhino release 1259

5 Stars
Posted Thursday, September 4, 2014 by Anonymous I was turned on this this album by a forum member who swore it was black and smack in the face when things picked up. I removed the album from orig packaging and did use the RCM just brushed it and played. Quiet and well engineered I loved it so much I bought for a buddy to add to his collection. For the $ you cant beat this Ray Charles album it was just done right!