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Faith Hill, ''Cry''

Warner Bros. // DVD Audio // October 29, 2002

List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Dvdempire]

Review by Aaron Beierle | posted November 20, 2002 | E-mail the Author

The Music:

1. Back to You
2. Cry
3. Baby You Belong
4. Beautiful
5. One
6. When the Lights Go Down
7. Stronger
8. You're Still Here
9. Unsaveable
10. Free
11. If You're Gonna Fly Away
12. If This Is the End
13. This Is Me
14. I Think I Will

The DVD

SOUND: "Cry" is presented by Warner Brothers with four different options: DVD-Audio 96khz/24-bit 5.1 (for DVD-A capable players), Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 or Dolby 2.0. This is a very enjoyable and effective remastering into 5.1 (mixed by famed sound mixer Elliot Scheiner, who has worked on many DVD-Audio and DTS CD titles). While the sound mix really doesn't take many risks, the instrumentals are often distinctly opened up, often clearly heard on their own in one or both of the surrounds.

Although "Cry" is clearly the single from the album, "I Think I Will" is, in my opinion, the album's best track. It also gets the finest mix of any of the songs, as the exotic instrumentals fill the room and sound excitingly crisp and dynamic. The lively opener, "Free", also has terrific use of the surrounds for instrumentals, while Hill's vocals sail from the front speakers.

Other songs get a more restrained mix that is appropriate for the music. Subtler songs like "Unsaveable" and "Baby You Belong" have the majority of the audio coming from the front speakers, with slight, pleasant reinforcement from the surrounds. Throughout, I was pleased to hear how well that Hill's vocals were showcased, while still sharing space in the front speakers with the instrumentals and other electronic effects.

The DVD-Audio presentation is one of the stronger recent titles on the format, in terms of audio quality. Hill's vocals are crisp and clear, with both the highs and richness of her voice presented here wonderfully. The audio quality is also pleasantly dynamic and bassy, with the pop/R&B songs sounding especially superb.

Although "Cry"'s journey for Hill away from country into pop and R&B didn't seem to be particularly well-recieved, I simply found the album to be a little uneven. I've replayed "I Think I Will" several times, while "Free" and "Cry" are also catchy and memorable tunes. However, "If You're Gonna Fly Away" is one of the album's blander attempts at pop and some of the ballads slide into sappiness. Still, while there were some concerns with some of the songs, I found a few highlights (along with the great audio quality of the DVD-Audio presentation) that will likely have me coming back for another listen in the future.

Extras include two featurettes, "Studio Sessions" (watch Hill recording) and "Photo Sessions" (watch Hill being rained on and taken pictures of in a little outfit. Nice!) The video for "Cry" and an interview with the singer are also included.

Final Thoughts: There were a fair amount of songs on "Cry" I didn't care for, but the songs that I liked, I liked quite a bit. The DVD-Audio offers a very good 5.1 mix, along with great audio quality. Fans of the album looking for an improved listening experience should check it out.

M U S I C

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