| SoundStage! Music Online Editor's Pick
Archives July/August 2003 Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? The Life and
Music of Robert Johnson Musical Performance  Music label
Shout! Factory is going all out with blues releases this year, which was designated by an
act of Congress as the Year of the Blues. In addition to releasing six Heroes of the Blues
recordings by the likes of Ma Rainey, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Son House, there will
be the release of PBS's upcoming The Story of the Blues on DVD along with a
two-CD set of the music from the documentary. And then there is this entertaining DVD on
Robert Johnson and his musical legacy. Told through the accounts of people who knew him as
well as dramatic snippets (Keb' Mo' plays Johnson in these), Johnson's story comes to life
and we come to understand why Johnson was the blues' most important early figure: not only
for his guitar playing, which still wows those who hear him, but also his songwriting and
singing -- a triple threat to be sure. This documentary is narrated by Danny Glover and
includes moments of tribute from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, who spent their time
trying to convey how magnificent Johnson's guitar work was and making believers in the
process. Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? chooses to downplay the mythology of
Johnson selling his soul to the devil in favor of a realistic portrait of an important
musical figure whose life was cut short but whose star shines on....Marc Mickelson
Aimee Mann - Lost in Space Musical Performance  Aimee Mann's keen pop sensibilities and delicate voice
hooked me with the movie Magnolia, in which her musical contributions to the
finished product are indispensable. Lost in Space received rave reviews when it
was released in late 2002, and this Hybrid stereo SACD from Mobile Fidelity improves upon
the CD's sound in several ways. Detail is more apparent, the SACD making the CD sound a
bit opaque. Mann's voice benefits most from this, her ability to sound as though she's in
control and vulnerable at the same time shining through. The low end has more power and
the midrange greater transparency, imparting the sense that you are one step closer to the
master tape, or perhaps a gnat's eyelash away from it. The CD layer improves on the
regular-issue CD as well. It may be audiophile heresy to say so, but the great sound is
not the reason to buy this high-rez remaster. Buy it because it's Aimee Mann, and you need
hear her....Marc Mickelson
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