Neo-Soul
Raul Midn "Everybody" (XM live recording)
Losing his sight shortly after birth, Raul Midn took up music and the idea of a one-man band. Making due with just an acoustic guitar, he has the uncanny ability to replicate other instruments, particularly drums. Midn has a spectacular voice with great range and control. His lyrics are typically meaningful and, as such, this song is filled with high spirits. This particular recording of "Everybody" was produced in the studios at XM Radio and is even more pleasing than the original.
While Midn's vocals are dead center, his guitar can be heard right of center with the distinct resonant tones reflecting off the studio walls, making for a great stereo effect. The Studio 16 recreated his vocals with great accuracy; his image was stable and narrowly focused. There was a nice sense of transparency, allowing Midn's image to be positioned slightly behind his guitar on the stage. The room ambiance was applaud-worthy and the resonating tones of his guitar, well-preserved and appropriately wide-a trait I attribute to the system's much better than normal off-axis response.
Tonally, there were some minor issues. As Midn slapped the base of his guitar, the thud was dull and muted. As I had already concluded, the bass extension is very limited, thus leaving me yearning for more capable midbass or even a sub. I also was struck by a slight rasp in his vocals as I turned the volume up-long listens at a moderate level like this will most likely leave listeners with fatigue. I never got to that point, but then again, most of my listening was done at more acceptable level.
Score: 8/10
Country
Willie Nelson "Always On My Mind"
I'm not much for country music, but good ol' Willie Nelson has had more than a few songs that I've found myself drawn to. Set in front of a small audience, this acoustic cut of "Always on My Mind" has a somewhat narrow soundstage that should be played back with good transparency and depth-only the audience's clapping should capture the boundaries of the recording while provoking the sensation that they are seated in front of the band.
It doesn't take long to realize the setting of this recording through the Studio 16. The track starts off with audience members clapping as Nelson reveals the anthem he's about to perform. Immediately, the Genesis captured the scenery with all its virtues intact. As Nelson intros the song with his gruff voice alongside the light strumming of an electric guitar, it became apparent that I was going to enjoy this part of the audition immensely. The Studio 16 simply impressed, extracting every detail in the quiet opening verses. Nelson's voice transpired naturally, with good depth and focus, and his breaths taken intermittently between lines, clearly audible. The resonant strings of the guitar, as subtle as they are, were restrained yet highly distinct.
As the other instruments roll in, you start to notice the layering effect as the instruments fall in place. While during the first listen they seemed to sit on top of one another, repeating the track revealed that the Genesis did a rather reasonable job discerning the location of each instrument. The easily passable harmonica was ever present, set to the right behind Nelson; an additional electric guitar was distinct to his left and the percussions were clearly behind the rest of the band. Beautiful!
Score: 9/10