Vanessa Fernandez's album Use Me with covers of soul and R&B classics from the 70s and 80s was recorded with acoustic instruments and arrangements on all tracks. Vocals are tremendously dynamic (no compression or limiting used), with superb presence and detail for all other instruments including the drum set. Resolution is of the highest order, 100% analog recording, mixing and mastering!

Rated 10/11 Music and 11/11 Sound by Michael Fremer (Analog Planet)

Featured in Vinyl Gourmet Audiophile TOP 100

• Limited Edition (2500 units)
• Numbered Edition
• One-Step processing
• 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl
• 45rpm Double LP
• Plated and Pressed at RTI, USA
• Cut by Bernie Grundman on all analog tube cutting system
• All Analog Recording, Mixing and Mastering
• High Quality Gatefold Cover

Numbered Strictly Limited Edition - 2500 Copies! One-Step Plating 45rpm Vinyl Edition! Newly Re-cut From Original 30 ips Direct To 2-Track All Analogue Stereo Master By Bernie Grundman! Groove Note Records is proud to release Vanessa Fernandez's album 'Use Me' on the high quality analogue One Step format. 

This album of audiophile quality covers of soul and R&B classics from the '70s and '80s was done in an "unplugged" style with acoustic instruments and arrangements used on all of the tracks. Vocals are tremendously dynamic (no compression or limiting used), with superb presence and detail for all other instruments including the drums. Resolution is of the highest order and this is an LP that rewards for both musical performance and outstanding audio quality.

The album introduces and throws the spotlight on the fantastic voice of the Singaporean vocalist with a superb song selection that includes tunes by Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Earth Wind & Fire, Bill Withers, Al Green and others.

Top musicians playing on the album include the great bassist Lee Sklar (Phil Collins, Rita Coolidge, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Lyle Lovett), acoustic guitars Tim Pierce (Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Roger Waters, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton), electric piano Jim Cox (Willie Nelson, BB King, Aaron Neville, Ringo Starr, Lyle Lovett), drums Victor Indrizzo (Macy Grey, Marianne Faithfull, Meatloaf, Emmylou Harris), percussion Rafael Padillo (Julio Iglesias, Celine Dion, Pavarotti, Gloria Estefan), and harmonica Stanley Behrens (Willie Dixon, Canned Heat, Ruth Brown). This is a great group of top LA musicians backing superlative performances by a great new singer!

There are many records and labels who declare themselves to be of "audiophile quality". Groove Note records all of their albums at the best studios in Hollywood (Oceanway, Record One, Cello, Sunset Sound) using a top Grammy nominated recording engineer, Michael C. Ross. All of their albums are recorded 100% analogue and the production masters are also mixed in 100% analogue by MC Ross. All albums are cut by one of the greatest mastering engineers in the world, Bernie Grundman, on an all analogue tube cutting system using all upgraded and modified vintage Sculley cutting lathes. All LPs are then plated and pressed by RTI on 180g audiophile vinyl.


"...the all-analog pedigree is evident. The sound is smooth, dynamic and big, with massive weight and presence. I listened first to the SACD, thinking that it would be hard to improve upon, but the RTI-pressed 45rpm LPs offered even greater resolution and naturalness, neither to the detriment of everything the SACD does so well. Use Me is demo material in either format, but if your analog rig is up to digging everything out of the groove, you won't hear a better-sounding record this year or next." - Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat, 4/5 Music, 5/5 Sound

"Tasty as is the back up band and are the outstanding acoustic arrangements, Ms. Fernandez steals the show with a voice that is as unlikely as her cover photo would have you thinking "funky black chick"...While the cover shot makes her look somewhat academic and perhaps reserved, trust me, there's no governor on her voice or the rawness of the emotions she pours forth. When appropriate she dials it down to a simmer as on a great cover of Al Kooper's BS&T classic "More Than You'll Ever Know". She even covers the somewhat obscure John Deacon- Freddie Mercury track "Cool Cat" from Queen's Hot Space album...Ms. Fernandez's performance on this slow simmer will have to convince you that she's the real deal...Sometimes these "audiophile" productions meet your sonic expectations but disappoint in other ways. In this case, Ms. Fernandez does not disappoint. " - Michael Fremer, Analog Planet, Music 10/11, Sound 11/11

"Fernandez explodes on the scene with a captivating set of performances covering everything from Barry White to Curtis Mayfield to Al Kooper. Sounding more like she hails from Nashville or Detroit than Singapore, Fernandez easily escapes the 'female vocalist' genre - that dreaded music played at shows to make an audio system sound sweet without disclosing its weaknesses."

"Recorded with a crack group of Los Angeles studio musicians at Oceanway Recording, Use Me combines a truly outstanding set of performances with some of the best sound you could hope for. Recorded analogue to 30 ips 1/4 inch tape and mastered by Bernie Grundman, Al Green's "Simply Beautiful" as sung by Fernandez creates the illusion of having the master tape at home. Jaw-dropping sound." - HiFi+, 10/10 Recording, 10/10 Music

"What a refreshing breath of R&B air; to hear a Singaporean singer cover Curtis Mayfield & Marvin Gaye. What a wonderful change from the usual jazz singers covering the American Songbooks... The sound quality of this album is truly reference quality ...a must purchase!" - Philip O'Hanlon, The High Note


Musicians:

Vanessa Fernandez, vocals
Tim Pierce, guitars
Leland Sklar, electric bass
Victor Indrizzo, drums
Rafael Padilla, percussion
Jim Cox, keyboards
Stanley Behrens, harmonica

Track Listing:

LP 1 Side A
1. I Just Wanna Be With You
2. Be Thankful For What You Got
3. Distant Lover

LP 1 Side B
1. Hard Times
2. That Loving Feeling
3. Simply Beautiful

LP 2 Side C
1. Use Me
2. I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
3. Cool Cat

LP 2 Side D
1. Here But I'm Gone
2. Be Thankful For What You Got (Alternate Mix)

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫