Rachael B
Senior HTF Member
First the bad news, the multi-channel mix sounds muddy, echo-ey, and the centre channel isn't even used. It sounds like bad quadrafonic to me. Now, the good news the stereo mix is outstanding and it's a CD hybrid.
The music is pure laid-back Mangione stuff. He pulls no punches here except the last track of ten, FREDDIE'S WALKIN' is an actual vocal song, but Chuck doesn't sing it. Charles Meeks the bass player sings plenty good enough for this little gospely sounding R & B number. I DO EVERYTHING FOR LOVE starts out with handclaps and has a sort of Caribean flair to it but a bit of a slower tempo than south of the border music usually has. It has a nice but subdued guitar solo in the middle. PAPA MANGIONE has a really nice soprano sax solo followed by really nice keyboard solo. This was my favourite track.
Most of the songs are about 6 to 7 minutes long just the way Chuck likes them. Chesky has no handle on how to do Multi-channel SACD yet if ths disc is any indication. The stereo mix is terrific and the front sounstage is so good that you'd think the centre channel is active at times, which of course it isn't. If you've liked Mangione over the years, this disc you'll proably like. It's pure Chuck.
The music is pure laid-back Mangione stuff. He pulls no punches here except the last track of ten, FREDDIE'S WALKIN' is an actual vocal song, but Chuck doesn't sing it. Charles Meeks the bass player sings plenty good enough for this little gospely sounding R & B number. I DO EVERYTHING FOR LOVE starts out with handclaps and has a sort of Caribean flair to it but a bit of a slower tempo than south of the border music usually has. It has a nice but subdued guitar solo in the middle. PAPA MANGIONE has a really nice soprano sax solo followed by really nice keyboard solo. This was my favourite track.
Most of the songs are about 6 to 7 minutes long just the way Chuck likes them. Chesky has no handle on how to do Multi-channel SACD yet if ths disc is any indication. The stereo mix is terrific and the front sounstage is so good that you'd think the centre channel is active at times, which of course it isn't. If you've liked Mangione over the years, this disc you'll proably like. It's pure Chuck.