I Want You

Groove Note Records has quickly become a listener favorite at NativeDSD with their outstanding Jazz, Vocal, Blues, Soul and Pop recordings. In 2019, Groove Note released I Want You by Vanessa Fernandez. This is an Analog recording transferred to Stereo DSD (up to DSD 512) with an all-star band of studio musicians that includes a “dream band” with guitarist and arranger Tim Pierce, former Michael Jackson bassist Alex Al, current Jimmy Kimmel Show Band keyboardist Jeff Babko, top L.A.-based horn player Ricky Woodard as well as returning musicians from her album When The Levee Breaks (Music of Led Zeppelin)

Music on the album covers a fine selection of Soul and Pop classics originally performed by Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Gloria Gaynor, Amy Winehouse, and Hall & Oates. As with her two earlier albums – Use Me and When The Levee Breaks – each track features the supreme musicianship of the band plus Fernandez’ stellar vocal performances. It is a real musical tour de force with sound quality to match from producer Ying Tan and co-producer and recording engineer Michael C. Ross.

It’s also worth noting that when we assembled this year’s 2019 Album of the Year Awards, the first album to be selected for an award by both of our judges – Senior Reviewer Bill Dodd and Technical Advisor Brian Moura – was this one. Need we say more?

The DSD512 download of I Want You by Vanessa Fernandez from Native DSD is one of the best sounding recordings that I’ve ever heard.

I Want You by Vanessa Fernandez (Groove Note GRV1200)
Singer: Vanessa Fernandez
Label: Groove Note
Producers: Ying Tan & Michael C. Ross
Mastering Engineers: Bernie Grundman, Dave Glasser, Tom Caulfield (DSD 128, 256, 512)

In 2014, singer/songwriter Vanessa Fernandez made her debut on Ying Tan's Groove Note label with an album of Soul Classics given an acoustic flavor titled Use Me which included Bill Withers' hit song of the same name. It is an Analog Recording with top studio musicians that became an instant audiophile and music lover's favorite. The album was followed up by a second release by Fernandez - When The Levee Breaks, an acoustic tribute to the Music of Led Zeppelin, which also nabbed the attention of many high-end music fans.

This year, we were treated to I Want You, the third release on Groove Note from Vanessa Fernandez. It features "I Want You" the title track made famous by Marvin Gaye, along with a host of Soul and Pop hits originally performed by artists including Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Gloria Gaynor, Amy Winehouse, and Hall & Oates. While the songs are familiar, each is given new life and a new spin through the vocals of Vanessa Fernandez and the arrangements by Studio Guitarist and Arranger Tim Pierce.

Along with Fernandez and Pierce, the album features an all-star band that includes former Michael Jackson bassist Alex Al, current Jimmy Kimmel Show Band keyboardist Jeff Babko, top L.A.-based horn player Ricky Woodard as well as returning musicians from her earlier albums. The result is an hour of Soul and Pop music, recorded in Analog with truly standout performances and fabulous sonics.

I Want You is available in DSD Downloads up to Stereo DSD 512 (from NativeDSD Music). One can debate whether this is her best album (Ying Tan says it is and I can't disagree), but it is a must-own release that is one of my Writer's Choice Award Winners for 2019.