Acoustic Vocal
Acoustic Vocal is a smooth and intimate audiophile vocal album from Premium Records, created for listeners who enjoy natural acoustic vocals, warm midrange, soft jazz, bossa nova arrangements, smooth treble and high-end sound quality. This album is highly recommended as a hi-fi vocal test CD for testing speakers, headphones, DACs, CD players, tube amplifiers and complete audiophile audio systems.
The album features relaxed acoustic and bossa-style versions of well-known songs, including “Baby Can I Hold You,” “If,” “Close To You,” “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life,” “You’ve Got A Friend,” “Don’t Know Why,” “Me And Mrs Jones,” “Just The Way You Are,” “Easy,” “Light My Fire” and “What A Wonderful World.” The tracklist includes artists such as Marianna Leporace, Maira Martins, Roberta Lima, Dudu Braga, Tahta Menezes, Liz Menezes, Monique Kessous, Marcela, Maria Augusta and Wanda Sá.
This is a very good album for relaxed evening listening and for judging how naturally your system reproduces the human voice. On a good hi-fi system, you should hear centered vocal presence, acoustic instrument detail, warm vocal tone, natural stereo imaging, clean separation and a smooth non-fatiguing sound.
What you must hear
| What to listen for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Vocal clarity | Voices should sound clean, intimate and realistic |
| Warm midrange | The emotional centre of this album is the human voice |
| Smooth treble | High notes should be soft and detailed, not sharp |
| Acoustic guitar detail | Guitar strings should sound natural and well defined |
| Bossa nova rhythm | Percussion and rhythm guitar should feel light and relaxed |
| Stereo imaging | The singer should appear stable between the speakers |
| Instrument separation | Voice, guitar, bass and percussion should not sound crowded |
Recommended tracks
| Track | Artist | Why recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Baby Can I Hold You | Marianna Leporace | Excellent for soft vocal warmth and intimate acoustic atmosphere |
| If | Maira Martins | Beautiful for vocal purity, phrasing and midrange detail |
| Close To You | Roberta Lima | Great for smooth treble, relaxed bossa mood and vocal focus |
| You Are The Sunshine Of My Life | Dudu Braga feat. Roberto Menescal | Good for guitar tone, rhythm and musical balance |
| You’ve Got A Friend | Tahta Menezes | Recommended for acoustic detail and natural vocal placement |
| Don’t Know Why | Liz Menezes | Strong track for soft female vocal texture and relaxed jazz-pop sound |
| Me And Mrs Jones | Monique Kessous | Good for deeper vocal tone, groove and warm midrange |
| Easy | Marianna Leporace | Excellent for relaxed timing and smooth system presentation |
| Light My Fire | Tahta Menezes | Nice for rhythm, energy and stereo separation |
| What A Wonderful World | Wanda Sá | Beautiful closing track for vocal emotion and natural ambience |