Female trio Scabaret takes cabaret and pop into the postmodern world with impassioned vocals and songwriting, and multifaceted musical influences
Boulder, Colorado, February 24, 2022 – Octave Records is proud to announce the release of Hothouse Flower by Scabaret, three multitalented women who combine impassioned vocals, virtuoso piano and viola playing and a variety of diverse musical influences, to create an album of modern cabaret pop.
Vocalist Hannah Jackson can soar to operatic heights, as on “Casualty,” or invite listeners into an intimate emotional world, from the dramatic “Scabaret” to the pensive “Life at Lightning Speed,” and its reflections on the transitory nature of being. It’s no wonder that she was a contestant on the TV show The X Factor. Songwriter Amy Faris is a stunning talent on acoustic and electric pianos, synthesizers and other instruments. Violist Kimberly Sparr has performed with numerous symphony orchestras and in solo, chamber music and orchestral settings. The result is a blend of jazz, classical, theater, pop and other uncategorizable influences, with a stylistic and sonic range that is captured with extraordinary sonic depth and detail. Amy Faris said, “I feel like with this group of people we can do any style in the world. The sky’s the limit.”
Hothouse Flower was recorded at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado using Octave Records’ Pure DSD process and the Sonoma multi-track DSD recording system. It was mixed at PS Audio in Boulder, CO. Hothouse Flower (SRP: $39) is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible only using a PS Audio SACD transport, or by copying the DSD tracks on the included DVD data discs.
In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download (including DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz/24-bit, 96kHz/24-bit and 44.1kHz/16-bit PCM) for $29 SRP from psaudio.com at this link. The album was recorded, mixed and produced by Scott Faris and mastered by Gus Skinas. Additional work was done by Zach Balch, recording engineer, and Giselle Collazo, assistant mix engineer. Octave Records’ Jessica Carson was the executive producer.
The women of Scabaret are not afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, or delve into the complications and difficulties of relationships and life, as “Life at Lightning Speed” notes: “Wanna try every door before I go/Wanna say yes to every dance and never leave an ‘I love you’ to chance.” There’s plenty of humor, laced in lyrics like: “I am much better on paper/And you are much better off if I stay here” from “Better On Paper,” a song that mixes lush electronic keyboards, Kimberly’s viola punctuations, and the recorded sounds of a clacking typewriter and ripping paper.
Hannah Jackson noted, “We take people through the low lows and the high highs, and all the colors that go into the mosaic of life. That’s how we approach all of those topics, from our experiences as women.” Regarding the recording process, Amy said, “It was actually a little scary on our end because you could hear every breath and every little movement and my foot hitting the pedals. It was kind of like, yikes, this is so exposed! But it sounds beautiful. I'm so glad [the engineers] were actually able to capture those little human moments.”
About PS Audio
Founded in 1973, PS Audio has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in manufacturing innovative, high-value, leading-edge audio products. Located in Boulder, Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, PS Audio’s staff of talented designers, engineers, production and support people build each product to deliver extraordinary performance and musical satisfaction. The company’s wide range of award-winning products include the all-in-one Sprout100 integrated amplifier, audio components, power regenerators and power conditioners.
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