A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King Blu-ray Movie Review

I’ve had the great pleasure of seeing Carole King live twice, and it was a transcendent experience both times, something that might be a bit odd given the completely different circumstances involved. The fact that these two performances were decades apart in radically different venues is just one clue as to how warm and communicative Carole is in her live performances, no matter what the circumstances. As a teenager, I saw Carole in a tiny German venue where she was performing mostly for U.S. servicemen stationed there, and for just a smattering of folks at that (it was like being in her living room, really). Years later, I saw her at a huge arena performing for an audience in the thousands, and yet there was no real loss of intimacy. Carole's contributions to the Great American Songbook are legion, and there's a nice batch of them on display by the typically eclectic coterie that usually attends these MusiCares concerts. Carole herself also performs and she gives a funny "acceptance" speech to boot.

• Hi Di Ho (That Old Sweet Roll) LeAnn Rimes and Steven Tyler
• So Far Away Pink and Paul Mirkovich
• I Feel the Earth Move Train
• You've Got a Friend Lady Gaga
• It's Too Late Gloria Estefan
• Love Makes the World/Where is the Love? will.i.am and Leah McFall
• Beautiful Sara Bareilles, Zac Brown, Jason Mraz and Raining Jane
• Way Over Wonder Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill and Darlene Love
• Where You Lead Jesse & Joy
• Crying in the Rain Miguel and Kacey Musgraves
• Natural Woman Alicia Keys
• Been to Canaan Jennifer Nettles
• I'm Into Something Good Amy Grant
• It Might as Well rain Until September Miranda Lambert
• One Fine Day Martina McBride
• Up on the Roof James Taylor
• Home Again Carole King, Moez Dawad and Ahmad A. El Haggar
• Sweet Seasons Carole King and James Taylor
• Hey Girl Carole King and James Taylor
• Will You Love Me Tomorrow Carole King and James Taylor
• Jazzman Carole King and Tom Scott
• I Feel the Earth Move Carole King and Cast Ensemble

A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. While there's nothing seriously wrong with this endeavor, this concert just doesn't pop with same precision and clarity as some other concert videos and even other MusiCares releases. Part of this is due to some unwise stage lighting choices (purple and yellow makes flesh tones look pretty sickly, while also masking detail). Close-ups offer an uptick in detail, but even here things can look a bit soft at times.

A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King features both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 as well as an LPCM 2.0 track. More boisterous tunes like "Hi De Ho" tend to benefit more from the surround offering, while there's less of a difference on some of the quieter moments, like some of the duets between King and James Taylor. Fidelity is top notch throughout the concert, offering full bodied support across all frequency ranges.

A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this Blu-ray disc.

A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's no one who deserves accolades more than Carole King, at least as far as I'm concerned. I've had a giant crush on her since I was a little boy and this wonderful concert simply reminded me of how much I love her and her wonderful music. While video is little less than stellar looking, audio is excellent and A MusiCares Tribute to Carole King comes Recommended.