Audiophile Digital

Emma Smith
Bitter Orange
la.reserve 99350 28240

Like Stella Cole’s ‘CD choice’ [HFN Nov ’25], Emma Smith’s discs are sold online and are empowered by social media. Londoner Smith, too, is a devotee of the Great American Songbook and is happy to cover lesser-known numbers. That’s as far as the similarities go as the two boast truly individual styles. Smith is more of a ‘circa-1956 smoky nightclub’ singer, reminding me so much of Peggy Lee that I looked for songs both had sung. This CD – with ‘Funny Face’, ‘Tonight’ and ten others – is ultra-atmospheric, the feel intimate, the delivery confident, with Smith backed just by piano, double-bass and drums. I’m loath to suggest it, but do Smith and Cole herald a return to singers with class? KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Genesis
Abacab
Analogue Productions CAPA 042 SA

Just as the Stone Temple Pilots were saddled with the ‘grunge’ label, so was Genesis cursed with ‘prog rock’ branding – always a warning to those who can’t put up with self-indulgent, 14-minute excess. This gem of an album from 1981, with the triumvirate of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks at its core, begs the use of a word more often applied to less-confrontational jazz in that it’s ‘accessible’. Indeed, Abacab actually has a song count of nine tracks, and it gave us tuneful numbers like ‘No Reply At All’ and the title cut. The sound is spectacular, especially Phil’s vocals, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but the group almost seems likeable. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Alanis Morissette
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2284

Reviewed in vinyl form last December, Morissette’s fourth album works just as well on SACD, the clean sound affording almost the same degree of emotion – which is what she’s all about. To recap, this platinum-selling 1998 release, which shifted 8m copies, was inspired by a trip to India and is clearly of a spiritual nature, in keeping with Morissette’s persona – she did, after all, play God in the 1999 film, Dogma. This 17-track album, I wrote, ‘reinforced Morissette as a singer of real depth, unlike those who mainly whine about ex-boyfriends’, with ‘So Pure’ a standout. Sonically, this comes close enough to the One-Step LP to prevent listener envy. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

The Pentangle
Solomon’s Seal Deluxe Edition
Cherry Tree CRTREE029D (two discs)

First released in 1972, this wonderful album was the last to feature The Pentangle’s (later just Pentangle’s) original lineup. It actually threw me off guard because so much of it belied the usual finger-in-the-ear-drunk-on-mead-hey-nonny-nonny nonsense I associate with British folk purists. But this not only rocks in places, it has whole segments which sound like Appalachian folk music. The performances are exemplary, Jacqui McShee’s singing as haunting as ever, while guitar playing doesn’t get much better than the two-pronged assault of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. As a bonus, this expanded edition adds 23 live and BBC tracks, 13 previously unreleased. KK

Sound Quality: 85%