Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC; Impulse! 602547421173 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

The shadow of Diana Krall looms large over the school of female singer-pianists, but Sarah McKenzie, though still in her early 20s, brings a freshness and exuberance of voice, allied to delicious phrasing and some demon work on the keyboard, to make even familiar material shine anew. On this album, originally released by ABC Classics Australia and now picked up by associated label Impulse! for wider distribution, she also displays quite a way with a tune on the self-penned tracks. (Sarah McKenzie has a degree in jazz composition, after all.) Together with compatriots Hugh Stuckey on guitar and Alex Boneham on bass, plus an international supporting cast, she makes a great job of the standards here, beside which her own songs stack up very well. The sound? Well, it’s crisp, clean, detailed and dynamic – all the better to show off McKenzie’s considerable talents. AE

Sound Quality: 90%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Recorded at Sear Sound, NY, with mixing/mastering at The Grateful Shed/Battery Studios, this looks like a 96kHz rendering of a careful analogue recording. The ~40kHz bandwidth is a function of the tape [but note trk 11, green trace]. PM