I like the new album by Brandi Carlile and Elton John — Who Believes In Angels? — a whole bunch! I reviewed the vinyl elsewhere on the Internet and while that version was quite good, one of the better sounding productions I’ve heard from hit-making producer Andrew Watt, actually. I still wondered if the album might sound better on digital platforms.
Who Believes In Angels? has mostly been released on various color vinyl variants, so it was only a matter of time before pressing issues popped up—especially with multi-color discs, which are notoriously tricky. However, I discovered that a special audio-only Blu-ray edition was available via mail order, featuring high-resolution 96 kHz, 24-bit Stereo, along with 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos mixes (both 48 kHz, 24-bit). I decided to order it, and I’m happy to report, it did not disappoint.
I’m speculating here, but it seems the standout feature of this generally well-produced Blu-ray Disc is the Dolby Atmos mix. It offers a smooth blend of room ambience and discreet multi-speaker action. Since this is essentially a rock ‘n roll album, most of the music is centered in the front channels, with the “height” and surround channels providing subtle but effective support.
The 5.1 mix is solid, but not especially remarkable—almost like a distilled version of the Atmos mix. The stereo mix is impressive and, in many ways, sounds better than the vinyl edition. I suspect this could be due to different mastering processes. For instance, certain vocal effects that are quite pronounced on the vinyl don’t stand out as much on the Blu-ray.
“Little Richard’s Bible” sounds great in Atmos with a fun 1950’s styled slap effect apparent on Elton’s vocal. “Never Too Late” delivers a lovely vocal blend in Atmos, even more so than the stereo. Likewise, Carlile’s “You Without Me” is simply gorgeous, featuring close mic’d guitar (apparently fitted with a rubber bridge according to one of the excellent bonus interview video clips on the Blu-ray, so the recording ends up sounding super hushed and intimate). Be sure to watch the music video for title track “Who Believes In Angels?” as it takes place on a wonderfully colorful stage paying loose homage to Elton’s iconic Captain Fantastic pinball game from the 1970s.
“River Man” features a beautiful opening sequence with a slight Led Zeppelin feel (think “Going To California”) but is presented in mostly stereo overall. “Someone To Belong To” is perhaps my favorite song on the album (it’s a tearjerker!). The super poignant album closer, “When This Old World Is Done With Me” is likewise haunting in its relative starkness, yet the final sequence fills room with a rich piano sendoff.
If you love Who Believes In Angels? and have a Dolby Atmos ready home theater set up, you’ll probably want to grab a copy of this Blu-ray Disc as only 2000 copies were reportedly made. For artists with fan bases the scale of Sir Elton and Brandi Carlile, that number is actually quite a limited run. You can find it at the Super Deluxe Edition website as well as on Elton John’s website for approximately $30. While I have not compared both, content wise, they seem to be identical save for the Pure Audio packaging’s slight design differences.
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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