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Rock/pop

Download Roundup – Paul Simon: Graceland

Graceland
Download Roundup – Paul Simon: Graceland
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Unlike the LP, the original CD of Paul Simon’s watershed meld of African rhythms and American folk sensibilities is not all that great sounding. Simon’s voice is full and natural, as are the other-worldly harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but other instruments are tonally neutered and lacking in dynamics. The HDtracks download is a whole ’nuther animal, in part, I’m sure, because it was taken from the re-mastered 25th Anniversary Edition of the album. Pretty much everything about the download stomps the CD. The resultant album has a rich tonal palette, perfect top-to-bottom balance, dynamics galore, and propulsive rhythms. In short: awesome.

By Alan Taffel

I can thank my parents for introducing me to both good music and good sound at an early age. Their extensive classical music collection, played through an enviable system, continually filled our house. When I was two, my parents gave me one of those all-in-one changers, which I played to death.

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