Blue Mind

This might ultimately be an excellent recording in the technical sense. However, I was unable to fully judge it due to the pops and skips. Very disappointing. Amazon advises a replacement is on the way. Ms. Bisson has a very clear voice and I can appreciate the way she floats between notes often creating an impression that she is slightly off key. However, I can understand how some listeners might find this irritating and distracting. The cymbals shimmer and the decay from them and the piano is palpable once you get passed the record noise. You may or may not enjoy her art form. I would call it minimalist with instruments occasionally darting the vocal landscape. I find this unfortunate because on the tracks where instruments are more prominent I see the potential for the music to "stretch out" and become much more immersive like, for example, one experiences in Alan Pasqua"s "My New Old Friend" CD release, also an exceptional recording worthy of equipment demonstration. Ms. Bisson seems restrained and unwilling to allow herself and the musicians who accompany her to truly show their chops. Sad, because she has a voice with tremendous range and clarity of expression. I realize this is essentially a record comprised of "love songs" and therefore not a romp through jazz land. However, I feel as though something great went untouched and Ms. Bisson simply settled for what was easy and safe rather than taking the opportunity to challenge herself and her bandmates to make an extraordinary record.Update: I received the replacement LP and while it is an improvement over the first one I still find it contains too much noise to fully appreciate this recording. I listened to it for several days becoming familiar with the material and sonic character of the LP. Still disappointed overall. Then I put on the CD. WOW! What an amazing difference. The material literally came alive with a presence that can not be fully described, only experienced. In my feeble effort to help potential buyers I will say with the CD Ms. Bisson's voice and all accompanying instruments have a realism that closely resembles a live performance. From the very first note struck on the piano I was mesmerized by the weight and tonality of this recording. And when she began to sing I simply could not believe the clarity that this recording produces. She was there, in my listening room. Eerie and deeply affecting. Don't allow some self-serving audiophiles, who feel the narcissistic need to justify their multi-thousand dollar turntable set ups, to convince you that the vinyl sounds better. It doesn't. Not even close. Part of the difference may be attributable to the absence of noise on the CD (when compared to the vinyl LP) which significantly improves the dynamic range. Every note from her voice and the instruments is clearly audible and can be located on the sound stage. The sound of the vinyl LP pales by comparison although I will admit it is much better than what we have routinely come to expect from that medium. If you must make a choice, choose the CD. The 150 gram vinyl LP is not worth $37 and the CD (which costs less) is worth every freaking penny. And that's the unvarnished truth.Further Update: Purchased the vinyl two album 45 rpm set of this recording and listened carefully and critically. Although it surpasses the standard vinyl lp in terms of reduced noise and increased dynamic range it still does not come close to the CD quality. Listen to the piano in “Little Black Lake” and “Camilo” and the instrumental accomplishments in “Soothing Your Soul” and the difference will be obvious to anyone with decent hearing. You do not have to have the golden ears of an audiophile to recognize the superiority of the CD over the vinyl versions.Final Reflections: Folks, this is an extraordinary recording. The clarity and depth of her voice, piano, double bass and drums (on the CD) are without peer in contemporary recorded music. Perhaps the Linda Ronstadt/Nelson Riddle Orchestra recordings mastered by the inimitable Doug Sax come close. But the intimacy of Ms. Bisson’s trio strike with an immediacy seldom possible with an orchestra. If you have a decent stereo system you owe it to yourself to experience what the best recordings actually sound like. You will not be disappointed. 2 star rating is due only to noise on the vinyl versions which detract from the recording’s quality. I would give the CD 5 stars any day of the week.

So what is so good about this recording ? The singer has a very clear voice . She is the kind of singer you would expect in a first class jazz bar . The words were written by Ms Bisson , which are unique , if actually listened to are really pretty good , some people would say are very emotional . She also plays the piano with her singing , in some songs about one note played for 5 words sung .There is a snare drum with a cymbal and a double bass . When the whole groups plays together it produces a very strong musical effect . It is too bad it isn't done more often. But usually only one or two instruments are played at the same time . This produces a very clear , easy to identify music/sound stage . When taken all together the product is a exceptional jazz bar band recording. The blend and effect is wonderful. It sounds alive , like someone is singing in your music room just for you. The recording was made with Sennheiser MKH40 microphones . This somehow captures Ms Bissons voice in the clearest form possible . The studio expertise of the recording is what really finishes the album as truly audiophile worthy. Plus you can now buy the music in MP3 in 96 Hz/24 bit for ultimate HD digital music experience .Thus the manner of the music , how it is sung so clear , the instrument's played with the exceptional recording process makes this album one that literally seems as though it is jumping out of your stereo . This is not a top 40 album . It is not background music . It is music to be experienced . Music to be watched in front of your stereo . A you tube video showcases exactly what I mean .Watch near the endhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZHjRe-hm_s

This album is a technical achievement, a standard by which other albums, should be. I absolutely love the way the piano was mic'd and recorded, the double bass is as good if not one of the best I've heard, the drums, a bit abrupt and dry. there was a lot of thought that went into their EQ and placement 5 stars to the technical team!Listening to this album on a Lexicon/Parasound/Magnepan system is quite the joy....however, I could care much less about the vocals and songs overall. This is a very introvertive album, very monotonous, pretty much the same old same old vocal on every track, dead center and upfront, there's not much in terms of creative mixing where you move a vocal up front or sink it back to enhance/enforce a particular mood. There was only one slider position, up front and in your face.As a music lover, audiophile and an engineer, I have to consciously switch from emotional to technical, when an album is just done right and ticks all the right facets, listening is a joy. Listening to this album tickles my technical side, appealing to the engineer in me, admiring the wonderful way the instruments were placed and shaped. Sadly, this album makes me want to take Paxil or Prozac, this is an album for rainy days when you want to relax or impress your friends with a technically recorded album. It's a Faberge' egg, beautiful on the outside but nothing inside that does it for me.Give me a Cassandra Wilson CD any time...

Well first thing first great album to have in your cd collection. Ok I do have both cd version to compare the sound quality obviously there's a difference on the UHQCD version more smooth sound more transparent in my opinion and much better details then again for about $40 for the UHQCD I'm not sure is worth to you to spend that kind of money but for me I didn't mind it was a great experience. The original cd version is already a well recorded album from the get-go Blue Mind is one of my favorite album from Anne Bisson also excellent for test your system performance and the Vinyl is great too to own. Highly Recommended 👍🏼😁👽✌🏼

Ok, so you have invested all your hard earned pennies in Hi-Fi.....you want to show of what it can do....look no further than this album. Extremely well recorded, stunning voice, brilliant track after brilliant track. Sit back with a nice glass of wine and enjoy !

I have many audophile CDs, but this UHQCD is awesome, and the music is beautiful! I recomend for music lover!

very good thax

Excellent recordings with tremendous detail and sound definition and Anne Bisson is simply marvellous. This is a must have for all the audiophiles out there.

All good thanks you!