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The Album

Hothouse Flower

Hothouse Flower

The Artist

Scabaret

A fresh and brilliant work
Original music as gorgeous and creative as it gets, Hothouse Flower by Scabaret is the most adventurous and musically interesting of any Octave release yet. It's recorded beautifully in pure DSD so listeners can enjoy master-quality reproductions of the stylistic and rich piano music by songwriter Amy Faris, and the electrically charged vocals of Hannah Jackson as she digs deep into her soul and brings you along for the ride, and the virtuoso viola playing of Kimberly Sparr.  Scabaret is three extremely talented women with help from producer Scott Faris. From music that reminds you of a cabaret to a modern synth-infused piece that begs to be turned up to as loud as you and your system are comfortable shaking the walls with, this amazing audiophile release of Hothouse Flower is a must-have for any serious music-loving audiophile.
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About

Scabaret

It’s cabaret and beyond for the modern world: 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. In fact, Jackson was a contestant on
the TV show The X Factor. Songwriter Amy Faris is stunning 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 sonic
depth, nuance and detail.
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.

01 - Scabaret - You Think You Can
02 - Scabaret - Hothouse Flower
03 - Scabaret - Better on Paper
04 - Scabaret - Life at Lightning Speed
05 - Scabaret - Burn
06 - Scabaret - Casualty
07 - Scabaret - Cave
08 - Scabaret - The Hot Song
09 - Scabaret - Two to Tango
10 - Scabaret - Scabaret
11 - Scabaret - Who Loves Me

Recording

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 in analog on Octave Record's Studer 961 analog mixing console before being transferred back to DSD64 using a Meitner A/D Converter and the Sonoma recording equipment at PS Audio in Boulder, CO. Hothouse Flower 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 disc. 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). The album was recorded, mixed and produced by Scott Faris and mastered by Gus Skinas. Additional work was done by Zach Balch, assistant recording engineer, and Giselle Collazo, assistant mix engineer. Octave Records’ Jessica Carson was the executive producer.

Album Features

  • One pressing Austrian gold-pressed dual-layer SACD
  • Pure DSD + PROMastered CD layers
  • DVD data disc containing DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM
  • Pure DSD recorded on the Sonoma DSD system
  • Mixed in analog on Octave Record's Studer analog console
  • DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM download
  • CD layer of SACD playable on any CD player
  • Mastering monitored through the PS Audio DirectStream DAC
  • All tracks hand-curated on the Infinity IRSV in PS Audio's Music Room Two
  • Limited edition one-pressing physical media

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