(w/ Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge)
Don't get this for the surround mix. Rather, get this because of the great tunes.
Matthew Sweet fans will surely find this mostly acoustic set quite enjoyable. Whatismore, the inclusion of Shawn Mullins doesn't detract whatsoever. (I hated his hit single "Lullaby".) And Pete Droge is a nice vocal complement to Sweet as Drodge has a down-to-earth 'Tom Petty-eque' drawl about him. I like the songs on this album quite a lot and, having listened to it quite a bit at work, it has yet to get old. So it was a good purchase. At least from a musical standpoint.
The Thorns are a supergroup of sorts and, therefore, comparisons to Crosby, Stills, & Nash wouldn't be too far fetched given their earthy vibe. I played a little of it for my brother who plainly asked if that was CS&N without me suggesting it. So it must be true. Either that or he knows even less about than music than I do---which isn't all that much, really. Nonetheless, I do like to pretend that I'm smarter than I really am when I write these reviews. But I digress.
As for the Super Audio CD stuff?
The surround mix is overall fairly conservative. Vocals are primarily up front and surrounds are mostly ambient---and rather quiet. It's not a completely horrible surround mix, but it is rather hit and miss. Some tracks are better than others. Overall, though, my impression is that this album in surround sound is a missed opportunity to open up the mix. As it stands, the mix sounds a bit smashed together. I'd say there is a slight over-emphasis on the center channel which may contribute to this effect. The audio, in general, might be over-compressed, too.
So "The Thorns" isn't exactly reference material.
Although I was disappointed by the surround mix, it still has some great music that is available on an affordable hybrid CD/SACD disc---just $15.00! So I say spend a few bucks more for the Super Audio CD version and support a fledgling format. Fans of Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and/or Pete Droge should find this to be an enjoyable album regardless of version.
Hybrid SACD Disc Contains:
CD Audio
SA-CD Surround Sound
SA-CD Stereo
Note: I amended the overall score to a 2 out of 5. Down from 2.5 out of 5. Also, how do y'all like that bit about supporting a fledgling format? Considering Sony's lack of software support shortly after the original review posted at Sound & Vision's forums, I'm not entirely sure if the tears rolling down my face are from laughing or crying. ---Kazaam
