Hi-Res Downloads

48kHz/24-bit WAV/FLAC/ALAC, naimcd198 (supplied by www.naimlabel.com)

Those most familiar with Sabina Sciubba’s breathy vocals on the well-known Meet Me In London set with Antonio Forcione [HFN Apr ’12] are in for a surprise: on this solo album the voice is harder-edged, and the whole concept reminiscent of everyone from Nico to Marianne Faithfull. From the off, this is an album designed to grab the attention with the impact of its sound, which is hard-hitting in a lo-fi way, with everything from thin, vintage-sounding vocals to hard-working percussion, all of which can sound catchy at times, and just plain annoying at others. While there’s some powerful bass to fill out the presentation, and plenty going on, it all sounds rather retro in a sort of late ’60s ‘Parisian Left Bank’ pop sort of way. Some listeners will love this; others will undoubtedly find it somewhat affected. I fear I’m in the latter camp. AE

Sound Quality: 75%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Plenty of energy here – and occasional instances of clipping – while the ~22kHz bandwidth available to this 48kHz recording is clearly insufficient to capture the full harmonic spread (inc. preamp distortion) of the percussion. PM