Bigjoe and others
I, too, think Patricia Barber has veered into the genre of audiophile weirdo music that may be great for demonstrating tweaky gear or selling geeked out vinyl, but really doesnt rate for timeless music.
Of course, people who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones, so I confess that I have listened to a lot worse music, just to marvel at, say, the low surface noise and thrill to the fabulous imaging.
Which is why this thread and Patricia Barber is interesting to me:
Long before she was picked up by audiophile labels, available in SACD and singing existential scat for audiophiles, I used to trek into Chicago a couple of weekends a year while still an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame.
Circa 1984 I stumbled into the teeny tiny "Gold Star Sardine Bar" on North Lake Shore Drive, where drinks were far more expensive than my budget and Patricia Barber was the house band. There, her trio would consistently mesmerize as many people who could cram into the bar ( not so many, hence the name, like sardines)
Now this had nothing to do with being an audiophile, other than audiophiles might like to listen to live music.
But let me tell you - she hypnotized the crowd - EVERY time, playing classics and standards with an eery, otherworldly presence and technical perfection every time she sat down.
So I ran right out and bought Split and was even happier to discover - as an audiophile - that is was a really good sounding recording.
So I had mixed emotions when years later, she seemed to be discovered as an audiophile artist - happy that new technically impressive recordings were available but disappointed that the content seemed more typical of audiophile labels.
But dont underestimate Patricia Barber as a musician and if the weirdo stuff leaves you cold, again, check out Split.
Best
cwlondon
