The Roughest Place I've Ever Been
Tin Pan Alley (AKA Roughest Place in Town) by Steve Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble sets a standard for dynamic range and soundstage in recorded Blues music.
Weekly Track
Thoughtfully curated weekly deep dives on a single track worthy of your time and attention (and your hifi gear.)
That Real Full Moon Black Magic
Lose Control by Teddy Swims is a raw, aching vocal tour de force blending R&B and funk/soul sensibilities to make something special.
Tell My Mama That I did My Best
Death Row by Chris Stapleton is a bleak and bluesy ballad of acceptance with a heartbreaking vocal performance, spare instrumentation, and eerie ambiance.
O, Sinners, Let's Go Down
Down To The River To Pray from the motion picture soundtrack of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is a deceptively simple trip into hifi-gang-vocal heaven. Let your mids shine.
I Miss The Earth So Much, I Miss My Wife
Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long Time) by Sir Elton Hercules John is apex psychedelic rock with a hair-raising Dolby Atmos mix to die for.
And Now My Bitter Hands Chafe Beneath The Clouds
Black by Pearl Jam is a cathartic, lush, sweeping epic with a tin can start that bursts into a mellow sonic groove as big as the sky.
Another Dimension
Intergalactic by The Beastie Boys is a frenetic audio cornucopia served up by three MCs and one DJ at the peak of their powers.
What Good is Your Crown?
Queen Mary by Francine Thirteen is a dramatic, bass-heavy cut with fantastic left-right panning effects and a soulful, menacing, female vocal performance.
Have You Any Dreams You'd Like to Sell?
Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, off their 1977 mega-hit album "Rumors," is syrupy-smooth 70s folk pop perfection.
I Got What I Got All Despite You
The Raconteurs are chomping at the bit with a bluesy-rock freakout: Salute Your Solution. If you want to put a hi-fi system's dynamics to the test, you'd be hard pressed to do better.
Throw Cares Away
What if Transformers raided the handbell room at the church down the street? It would probably sound like Mannheim Steamroller's Carol of the Bells.
I Have To Beg Your Pardon
Rebecca Pidgeon's Spanish Harlem is a legendary soundstage and dynamic range reference. Good or bad, this will expose your hifi system for what it is.