Vanessa Fernandez - Use Me - 2 x 180g 45rpm Vinyl LPs

2x 45 rpm LPs

"...the all-analog pedigree is evident. The sound is smooth, dynamic and big, with massive weight and presence. I listened first to the SACD, thinking that it would be hard to improve upon, but the RTI-pressed 45rpm LPs offered even greater resolution and naturalness, neither to the detriment of everything the SACD does so well. Use Me is demo material in either format, but if your analog rig is up to digging everything out of the groove, you won't hear a better-sounding record this year or next." - Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat, 4/5 Music, 5/5 Sound!

"Tasty as is the back up band and are the outstanding acoustic arrangements, Ms. Fernandez steals the show with a voice that is as unlikely as her cover photo would have you thinking "funky black chick"...While the cover shot makes her look somewhat academic and perhaps reserved, trust me, there's no governor on her voice or the rawness of the emotions she pours forth. When appropriate she dials it down to a simmer as on a great cover of Al Kooper's BS&T classic "More Than You'll Ever Know". She even covers the somewhat obscure John Deacon- Freddie Mercury track "Cool Cat" from Queen's Hot Space album...Ms. Fernandez's performance on this slow simmer will have to convince you that she's the real deal." - Michael Fremer, analogplanet.com, Music 10/11, Sound 11/11

"Fernandez explodes on the scene with a captivating set of performances covering everything from Barry White to Curtis Mayfield to Al Kooper. Sounding more like she hails from Nashville or Detroit than Singapore, Fernandez easily escapes the 'female vocalist' genre - that dreaded music played at shows to make an audio system sound sweet without disclosing its weaknesses."

"Recorded with a crack group of Los Angeles studio musicians at Oceanway Recording, Use Me combines a truly outstanding set of performances with some of the best sound you could hope for. Recorded analogue to 30 ips 1/4 inch tape and mastered by Bernie Grundman, Al Green's "Simply Beautiful" as sung by Fernandez creates the illusion of having the master tape at home. Jaw-dropping sound." - HiFi+, 10/10 Recording, 10/10 Music