- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4 (2D); MVC (3D)
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96kHz/24-bit) (Stage & Audience mixes), LPMC 2.0 (96kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: N/A
- Subtitles Color: N/A
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: N/R
- Run Time: 55 Mins.
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: N/A
- Studio: AIX Records
- Blu-ray Release Date: October 30, 2012
- List Price: $34.99
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Performance
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
HD: [Rating:3.5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Performance
[Rating:4.5/5]
Rita Coolidge whose biggest successes came in the 1970s with former husband Kris Kristofferson via a series of duet albums and four consecutive solo Top 25 hits on the charts from 1977-1978 with songs like Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”, Boz Scaggs’ “We’re All Alone”, and The Temptations’ “The Way You Do The Things You Do” is back (not that she ever left) and throwing down some serious live, in-the-studio jams, courtesy of Mark Waldrep’s audiophile label AIX Records. This recording features an 11-piece ensemble that includes the Waters family on background vocals and for added pizazz, Brandon Fields and Lee Thornburg on brass. It’s a lively set featuring most of Ms. Coolidge’s hits, but my personal favorite from the set is the soul gem penned by Roosevelt Jamison originally made a hit in 1964 by O. V. Wright and again covered famously by otis Redding in 1965, “That’s How Strong My Love Is”. Coolidge sings is with a smooth assurance and heartbreaking sentimentality that shows why she has had such longevity.
The Tracklist:
- Higher and Higher
- Soothe Me
- The Way You Do The Things You Do
- Can’t Stand The Rain
- It’s How You Play The Game
- Walking Away
- Only You Know And I Know
- That’s How Strong My Love Is
- Nothing Can Change This Love
- Shoo Rah Shoo Rah
- Brickyard Blues (Play Something Sweet)
- Take Me To The River
- Sensitive Kind
- People Get Ready
Video Quality
HD: [Rating:3.5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:4.5/5]
The beautifully natural 3D of AIX’s releases is captured here in a 1080p/24 transfer. The effect offers great depth in front-to-back extension and a nice bit of pop-out, especially on close-up shots. The cameramen do good work to keep the production from becoming staid, without it being too hyperactive. There, however, an unfortunate amount of motion judder that can be spotted especially in the panning and just a little bit of noise can be spotted in the black backdrops. Unfortunately there is a lot of motion judder that can be spotted in this encodement, whether you watch in 2D or 3D. I confirmed with Mark Waldrep of AIX Records, that the production for Play Something Sweet was done at 1920 x 1080 @ 29.97Fps and encoded at 23.976Fps. This conversion in frame rate is the root of the judder and is unavoidable for this release. This, unfortunately, causes me to have to have to mark this down since, for me, it is very noticeable and distracting, even if the 3D and overall detail, 2D or 3D, look strong.
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
The traditional AIX recording style of all natural acoustics with no electronic manipulation is rendered fantastically in three mixes on this Blu-ray, a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96kHz/24-bit) “audience perspective” mix, a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96kHz/24-bit) “stage” mix that is a bit more discrete in its use of its surround channels, and a LPCM 2.0 stereo (96kHz/24-bit) mix. Instrumental separation is fantastic on any mix you choose, but the “stage” mix offers the best and most expansive soundstage. Dynamics are marvelously realistic and Ms. Coolidge’s vocals are warm and upfront, perfectly clear. The LPCM 2.0 mix is by far the least invigorating of all three mixes, but is still an enjoyable listen for 2-channel purists.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Apart from some brief behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions and a montage of the rehearsal footage, the meat of the extras is the BD-ROM content that offers up music files in FLAC and MP3. A bio and liner notes are also offered both on disc and in the booklet.
The supplements:
- iTrax BD-Rom Files:
- 2-Channel Stereo FLAC at 96kHz/24-bit
- 2-Channel Stereo MP3 at 320kbps
- 2-Channel Headphone “Surround Mix” at 48kHz/24-bit
- Biography
- Behind the Scenes (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:01:58) – Some brief, “b-roll” footage of the recording sessions.
- Rehearsal (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:02:09) – A montage of behind the scenes footage of Rita and the band in rehearsal.
- Discography
- Photo Gallery (1080p/24)
- Liner Notes
- Booklet: Liner notes, biography, lyrics
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Another fantastically recorded AIX release with recognizable songs, Play Something Sweet from veteran songstress Rita Coolidge is a magnificent live audiophile recording that will make you tap your feet, sing out loud, and keep reaching for the volume control to turn it up.
Additional Screen Captures
[amazon-product]B00925T9GA[/amazon-product]
Purchase Rita Coolidge: Play Something Sweet on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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[amazon-product]B00925T9GA[/amazon-product]
Purchase Rita Coolidge: Play Something Sweet on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Performance
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
HD: [Rating:3.5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
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