Audiophile Vinyl

Stella Cole
It’s Magic
Decca 602478510960

Much has happened since Stella Cole’s debut earned our Album of the Month [HFN Nov ’25] to reaffirm my belief that a revival in easy listening (a compliment, not a criticism) is afoot. Tellingly, Cole’s sophomore release is on Decca, the major label that enabled Jeff Goldblum to indulge in his love for the genre. More confident than her first album, It’s Magic is all about the voice, and what a set of pipes she has! Sublime versions of ‘Till There Was You’, ‘Alfie’, ‘Fools Rush In’, ‘As Time Goes By’, the title track and five more also support my notion that Stella Cole just may be the finest current distaff interpreter of the Great American Songbook. If ever an album lived up to its title, this surely does. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Joan Baez
“Farewell, Angelina”
Vanguard/Craft CR00917 (180g vinyl)

Before even slicing the cellophane, the hype sticker’s quote told me this is ‘perhaps the finest sounding folk record ever’. While I can’t confirm that, it’s certainly a sonic gem, and the reason is Baez’s voice as much as the recording: she’s simply in a class of her own for clarity. Baez is timely again because of the Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, in which her role was amply represented, but this 1965 release deserves an audiophile reissue because it is simply breathtaking. Four of its 11 cuts are Dylan songs – her ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’ is peerless – while a take on Donovan’s ‘Colours’ shows she had an ear for new talent. More Baez will follow. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Buckingham Nicks
Buckingham Nicks
Rhino R1 727699

Given that this duo reinvigorated and reinvented Fleetwood Mac, transforming it into one of the best-selling acts of all time, it’s staggering to learn that their lone album has been out-of-print for 40 years. First released in 1973, this edition was sourced from the original analogue master tapes (high-res files for the CD) and remastered by Chris Bellman, so the sound quality is right up there. It’s a glorious mix of glossy West Coast pop, a hint of folk-rock and other ear-catching touches, but it’s the double whammy of gorgeous singing and superbly crafted songs which must have sold Mick Fleetwood on inducting the pair into his band. The rest is history. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Rick James
Street Songs
Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-578 (two 45rpm LPs)

It’s easy to forget how huge Rick James was in the early 1980s. He’s been gone for over 20 years, dying young after a complex, troubled life, but he certainly left us with some irresistible soul/funk classics. Street Songs, James’ fifth studio album (1981), was his finest moment, containing as it did three of his biggest hits. And while any scholar of R&B/funk instantly recalls and appreciates ‘Give It To Me Baby’, ‘Fire And Desire’, and ‘Super Freak’, it’s the last with a riff so familiar that you’ll know it even if you can’t place the performer, as it was co-opted by MC Hammer for ‘U Can’t Touch This’. Think of Rick James as Michael Jackson for grown-ups. KK

Sound Quality: 85%