Home  |  Hi-Fi Audio Reviews  Audiophile Shows Partner Mags  News       

 

 

Enjoy the Music.com Review Magazine
Raul Malo
Sinners and Saints

Review By Steven Stone

 

  From the opening trumpet notes you know that Sinners and Saints won't be your ordinary country CD. The title cut sounds like the offspring of the Ventures meeting Nino Rota at a seaside bar in Cuba and deciding to write the title tune for the next Clint Eastwood spaghetti western together.

Ex-Mavericks front-man and principal songwriter for over a decade, Raul Malo has adjusted from the life of a country super-star to that of a simple singer/songwriter nicely. "I went from a bus and two semis to driving up and down the Jersey turnpike with just a tour manager, a rental car, and my acoustic guitar." On Sinners and Saints we're treated to the fruits of his travels. Malo delivers Latin-tinged honky-tonk country tunes from dancehall rave-ups, through Freddie Fenderish tearjerker ballads.

Raul Malo's first, and still most impressive instrument, is his voice. He has the most wonderful sonorous timbre, sort of like Roy Orbison, but in a baritone range.

Recorded at Ray Benson's Bismeaux Studios in the heart of Texas, and assisted by Texas Tornado veteran Augie Meyers on keyboards, Shawn Sahm (Doug Sahm's son) on guitar, and Michael Guerra on accordion, it's inevitable that this album has a strong Tex-Mex flavor, even on pop/country numbers like "Staying Here." On the accordion-driven ditty "Superstar" Malo spins a lurid tale of music biz success and failure amid florid accordion arpeggios and a stomping polka beat. And, sure, there's a brass section.

Self-produced Sinners and Saints sounds as lush and full-produced as any mainstream Nashville release. Actually, it sounds better. On the last song on the album, "Hammer and a Nail," the soundstage is HUGE and there's an aura around Malo's twin lead vocals. It sounds like Buddy Holly singing a duet with Roy Orbison. Heavenly!

 

 

Enjoyment:

Sound:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

Quick Links


Premium Audio Review Magazine
High-End Audiophile Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Superior Audio Gear Reviews

 

 


Show Reports
HIGH END Munich 2024
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Report

Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2024
Capital Audiofest 2023 Report
Toronto Audiofest 2023 Report
UK Audio Show 2023 Report
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Report
T.H.E. Show 2023 Report
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 Report
...More Show Reports

 

Videos
Our Featured Videos

 


Industry & Music News

High-Performance Audio & Music News

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine
hi-fi+ Magazine
Sound Practices
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

 

 

     

Home   |   Hi-Fi Audio Reviews   |   News   |   Press Releases   |   About Us   |   Contact Us

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2024  Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.