Bela Fleck: Drive
(Mobile Fidelity Discovery Series/SACD)
Music: A- PCM
CD sound: B+ DSD Stereo: A DSD Multi-Channel: N/A
Progressive Bluegrass Fusion? Who the heck would have thought that something like this could
exist or for that matter even become popular?
Leading the way in one of the most obscure categories of music is Bela
Fleck, a genius of the banjo, whose unique playing style and abilities have put
him to the top of the list of players who have successfully crossed genres
sprawling into Jazz, Bluegrass, Country, etc.
There is no doubt that Mobile Fidelity had good reasons
behind making Fleck’s 1988 album Drive
a reality for the Super Audio format because this is without a doubt a unique
outing that gets all the glory in Super Audio Compact Disc form. This is also quite possibly a way for those
that are not familiar with Fleck or not interested in this particular style to
suddenly be submerged into another world.
This particular SACD is one of the best I’ve heard as far
as being a DSD Stereo only option hybrid disc.
While some of the multi-channel material out there has more dynamics,
this is just a solid stereo experience unlike no other at this point, at least
to some degree. If you do a straight
DSD comparison to any other title out there, the reason why this might out
perform is mainly due to Mobile Fidelity’s standards of excellence that they
set and their reputation for keeping the Original Masters in mind, which is the
case for all their material as they take the original source and with the high
sampling rate of the DSD transfer, there is little room for compression or loss
to occur. Using Mobile Fidelities
UltraDisc UHR Gain 2 system as with all their SACD’s this one really shines. Also check out Aimee Mann’s Lost in Space, Los Lobos’ Goodbye Aztlan, and Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul, all reviewed on this
site; all issued from Mobile Fidelity as DSD Stereo-only discs.
Fast finger picking (and there is a lot of that here)
requires sharp articulation to occur, which is why a superb audio recording and
delivery are important. The sound must
be recreated to enable the listener to hear the distinctions in tonal quality
and the articulation of each note.
There are other instruments aside from the banjo here as well, which all
have a different tonal quality and range of sound, which must all be integrated
into the mix effectively to create a listening experience you won’t forget,
Mobile Fidelity has prevailed in doing just that. While I probably won’t run out and buy up everything Bela Fleck
has ever put out, I can say my musical horizons have broadened with this
particular release and because of it’s excellent performance capabilities I
shall showcase it for others to check out as well.
It is easy for multi-channel material to sound impressive,
but when something in stereo can also be solid and equally impressive than you
really have something to show off.
Track Listing:
Whitewater
Slipstream
Up and
Around the Bend
Natchez
Trace
See Rock
City
The
Legend
The
Lights of Home
Down in
the Swamp
Sanctuary
The Open
Road
Crucial
County Breakdown
Bonus Track: Shuckin’
the Corn
This is an acoustic outing with Bela Fleck playing with
other greats like Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Tony Rice, Mark Schatz, Mark
O’Connor, and Jerry Douglas. There are
cool liner notes about the project as Fleck recalls the project and makes a
nice addition. There are no complaints
about this SACD and it is hard to imagine how this could sound any better than
it does here. Fans and even those unfamiliar
with the content will be satisfied to say the least. If the albums original tracks don’t blow you away the bonus track
surely will. The only thing left to say
is…ENJOY!
- Nate Goss
