2023 NativeDSD Album of the Year Nominee – Vocals
Stones In My Passway is the 8th album at NativeDSD from Carmen Gomes Inc. The album is the second in a series of recordings that pays tribute to legendary blues singer Robert Johnson, following their earlier tribute album Up Jumped The Devil, also available at NativeDSD.
The recording is a remarkable journey through the corridors of time. Paying homage to the legendary blues musician, composer, and founding father of the fatal 27 Club, Robert Johnson, their album transcends the boundaries of traditional recordings, offering a mesmerizing sonic road movie experience.
‘Stones in My Passway’ effortlessly transports you, each track being a gateway, to a world where time and space intertwine with the rich tapestry of Johnson’s life. Imagine Robert Johnson walking alone late at night in the 1930s United States of America, en route to his sad demise in Greenwood, Mississippi. As he walks, he reflects upon his life, accompanied by the sounds of the night and the echoes of his memories.
The small innovative soundscape vignettes, encompassing each song, weave a cinematic narrative to the unique road movie concept, further enhancing the emotional connection and depth of the musical experience. It’s an immersive and evocative concept album showcasing the power of artistic vision and technical innovation, and a deep reverence for the timeless beauty of Robert Johnson’s music.
The heart of this album is Carmen Gomes Inc.’s inspired interpretations of Johnson’s immortal songs. The synergy among the band members, with Carmen’s sultry voice in constant dialogue with guitarist Folker Tettero, bassist Peter Bjørnild, and drummer Bert Kamsteeg, goes beyond their instruments’ traditional roles. They elevate the emotions, provide solace, and weave a mesmerizing sonic narrative that further enriches the musical experience.
Carmen Gomes Inc.
Carmen Gomes, Vocals
Folker Tettero, Guitar
Peter Bjørnild, Double Bass
Bert Kamsteeg, Drums
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 00:46:21
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | SL1063A |
| Qualities | WAV 768 kHz, DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 32 Bit, DXD 24 Bit, WAV 384 kHz 32 bit, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz |
| Channels | |
| Artists | |
| Composers | |
| Genres | |
| Analog to Digital Convertor | Horus, Merging Technologies at DXD (352.8 kHz) |
| Microphone Cables | AudioQuest |
| Microphone Preamp | Horus, Merging Technologies |
| Microphones | Main central microphone: Josephson C700S Support microphone Carmen: Josephson C700A Support microphone Peter's bass: Josephson C700A Support microphone Folker's guitar: Josephson C715 Ambience microphones spaced pair of 2 Josephson C617 |
| Mixing Headphones | Sennheiser HD800S & AKG 702 |
| Instruments | |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Power Amp | Moon 760A |
| Power Cables & Power Conditioners | AudioQuest |
| Producer | Peter Bjørnild |
| Recording Engineer | Frans de Rond |
| Speakers | TAD Compact Evolution |
| Release Date | November 20, 2023 |
Press reviews
Positive Feedback
Wonderfully fantastic! Carmen Gomes at her inimitable best performing highly personal interpretations of the songs of legendary blues singer Robert Johnson. Gomes is a master communicator… This album deserves recognition as one of the best vocal albums released in 2023.
The recording quality is among the best recordings I’ve heard from Sound Liaison recording engineer Frans de Rond. And he’s made quite a few of my favorite recordings. But, when recording Carmen Gomes, Frans seems to rise to yet another level of masterful work capturing the sound of this band.
If you’re a blues fan, get this album. If you love female vocals, get this album. If you simply enjoy great music making, get this album. Did I say this enough? Get this album. You’ll love it.
HiFi.Nl
The new album by Carmen Gomes Inc. appeals to the Audiophile heart and the Blues and Jazz lover. It is another pearl.
Once again the ensemble returns to the work and life of Robert Leroy Johnson from Mississippi. This artist died very young and left only about twenty songs, but his work was and still is a major influence on many blues guitarists and singers. In addition, Johnson has been retroactively included as one of the very first ‘members’ of the famous 27 Club, the well-known group of artists who died at the age of 27. In any case, it appeals to the imagination.
Together they (including engineer Frans de Rond) explore six tracks by Robert Johnson himself on Stones In My Passway, and supplements this with nine of their own works, the lion’s share of which also comes from the entire band.
When you press ‘play’, it immediately becomes clear that Carmen Gomes Inc. has done everything it can to create a story, rather than just a tribute to Johnson. From the intro, in which the slowly swelling musical sounds are accompanied by a soundscape of a steam train that could easily come from the southern American state of the blues artist. Atmosphere and entourage are immediately apparent.
To start with a wonderful jazzy performance of Johnson’s Little Queen Of Spades . The short slide guitar of yesteryear is given ample space in the whole in a renewed, drawn-out form, while Tettero and his instrument occupy an almost equal place in the whole as singer Carmen. Placed slightly to the right behind the voice, the bass defined underneath and a very large stage for the drums.
The intimacy of the vocals, the expression of the guitar and the refined sounds of the double bass as well as the dynamics of the percussion make the album a radio play. In fact, almost the entire album, the four have a vivid imagination and know how to convert it into narrative music. Supplemented with some cleverly placed soundscapes. Intense.
In addition, the music is greatly enhanced by the beautiful recording and production. Engineer Frans de Rond has once again managed to deliver beautiful work, by playing with the placement of microphones, among other things. The choice to include the drums in particular so prominently and with extreme dynamics gives a lot of extra subcutaneous tension to Robert Johnson’s blues heritage and is phenomenal to experience on a refined hi-fi set. This is music to wallow in, especially during these gray winter days.
Recommended!
Audiophile Style
This is the best sounding recording Frans de Rond has done to date. And the best performance by the band.
JazzFlits
Stones In My Passway is Part Two of the Discovering The Music of Robert Johnson series in which Carmen Gomes Inc. breathes new life into the musical legacy of Robert Johnson.
The short atmospheric pieces between the tracks, where you are taken to the scene of the events like in a radio play, are a real treasure. Thus, the album opens with a beautiful intro where a passing train, wind noise, and a single guitar chord transports you to the deep south of the United States.
Carmen sings the blues straight from the heart, profoundly, with authenticity and heartfelt sincerity, eschewing any unnecessary embellishments. Her band has mastered this repertoire completely.
The slow tempos are beautifully exploited, with each musician contributing sparingly but with authority. In their renditions of Johnson’s pieces, you feel the clammy, sweaty air in the ominous dark shady clubs, where the blues was interspersed with drinking parties and fights.
Engineer Frans de Rond has captured the entire setting in a way that allows you to experience the superb interplay of these seasoned musicians. This is so well recorded that turning up the volume knob significantly only seems to make the music even more intense not louder.
With this release, an impressively good album has been added to Carmen’s discography. My suggestion is to buy both Part One (Up Jumped The Devil) and Part Two (Stones in My Passway) as they don’t fall short of each other and only become more precious with time.
2 reviews for Stones In My Passway
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This is the first album I’ve seen recorded in DXD and then transferred to Analog and PCM 768khz.
Carmen’s recordings are always a BIG winner in my collection and this one is no exception. That extra recording quality puts this one over the top.
Is that freight train from my headphones or in the street outside!?
Jon Dennerlein (verified owner) –
What an album!
The recording, with its excellent dynamics, is atmospheric yet at the same time the vocals and the instruments are given plenty of space and the sound is fabulous.
I found the music to be almost hypnotic, particularly the grooves. It drew me into the album’s own little world.
The album will repay repeated listens because there is always something new to discover.
David M Davison (verified owner) –