man..if you wanna hear just what your speakers can do...play some Sinead..old stuff like LION & THE COBRA, or I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN"T GOT....good old stuff. amazing man. her voice is like an angel...i swear...any other suggestions on stuff to try out???

A forum member turned me on to Eva Cassidy - her voice is amazing for sure. Also Diana Krall, Norah Jones, and Annie Lennox if that's your speed.

Amie's right. Eva Cassidy's "Songbird" is definitely a treat for your ears and your Axioms.

I can't listen to Eva Cassidy's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" without weeping. It breaks my heart that she wasn't recorded more professionally before she died. Such a tragedy, and such a great loss of a magnificent voice and talent.

Let us not forget the late Karen Carpenter. Haunting voice, eh!

STOP! That's another lost voice that gives me chills. When I hear Karen's voice, I alternate between abject despondency over losing that voice, and restrained fury for losing it so unnecessarily.

I know that The Carpenters were considered by many to represent the ultimate in sentimental, overproduced, unhip, pop music. If you're one of the many, that's fine. Taken from a certain point of view, that could be considered correct. But, being a sentimentalist, I've listened, a lot, to their material. Karen was a VERY special voice. and though lushly produced, Richard did a very tasty job with the arrangements.

If you haven't heard it, or haven't heard it in awhile, check out the song This Masquerade. And, the range Karen demonstrates on Solitaire, particularly on the lines "And every road that tales him, takes him down," and "without a love it always ends the same," is mind blowing.

Well it depends on your taste of music, but if you like glam rock, electro-funk, with a touch of (updated) 80's synthpop (sorry...it's hard to describe!), you will love Goldfrapp. Alison Goldfrapp, whom the band is named after, has got this sultry, seductive, lounge singer type voice that is so refreshing. Her vocal range is incredible. However, the music is not everyone's cup of tea. The first album, Felt Mountain, stands on it's own though. It sounds more like a dark sountrack to a James Bond flick...very lush string arrangements, wierd electronics, and very haunting. But on this album is where her vocals shine. Very cool stuff!

Hey, Sonicfox! Welcome back!

Thought you could just sneak back in here, didn't you...

Has anybody heard the SACD version of the Carpenters? Is it worth picking up? Any better than their standard greatest hits album?

(Roger's a fan)

What? You don't think someone here would make fun of you for wanting a Carpenter's SACD, do you?