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Tuesday, 24 October 2006 |
 Seal: Best 1991–2004
Seal’s Best 1991–2004captures 14 highlights of the performer’s studio output over a span of 13 years—including the hits “Crazy,” “Kiss from a Rose,” and “Don’t Cry”—and also provides 10 music videos and an entire acoustic set of 13 reworked versions of the songs. That’s135 minutes of audio and 40 minutes of video,all on one disc. DVD-Audio content is presented in hi-res 88.2 kHz/24-bit 5.1 surround and stereo for the Best,and in 44.1 kHz/24-bit surround and stereo for the Acoustic Album. DVD-Video players get Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo options.
The recordings, lushly produced by Trevor Horn, seem to have been made for surround.The listener is immersed in a 360-degree world of instruments, vocals, percussion, and other musical textures—a perspective that breathes new life to the familiar hits. However,the highlight of the package is the acoustic set. The rearranged songs are completely new experiences, graced with acoustic guitars, percussion, piano, and other acoustic instruments.Tim Weidner tackles the electronic and acoustic5.1 mixes with an understanding of the surround sound potential for each set. The only misstep is the 5.1 mix for the original recording of “Crazy,” which suffers from sibilance in the vocals and a harsh high end. Unfortunately, the use of aggressive dynamic range limiting makes the acoustic set oddly on par with the already loud original recordings.
Two albums and a music video collection all rolled into one, Seal’s Best 1991-2004 on DVD-Audio is a remarkable musical value.
Warner Bros., Technical Rating: B+ |
