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David Crosby has the voice of an angel. Not only can you hear his distinctive vocal tone coming across pure and true all throughout his most recent studio album, For Free — one of AnalogPlanet’s Top New LP Releases of 2022, in fact — but you can hear his long-entrenched instinct for beautifully layered harmonies on David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band’s Live at the Capitol Theatre, currently available in a 1CD/1DVD package via BMG, but (hopefully) coming soon on vinyl. Croz got on the line with AP editor Mike Mettler to discuss the importance of overtones all throughout his recording career, why having Miles Davis cover one of his most heartfelt songs is a career highlight, and why his very first solo album — February 1971’s If I Could Only Remember My Name — remains an audiophile benchmark LP to this very day — and, of course, much, much more. . .

Last week, AP editor Mike Mettler asked ace reviewer Mark Smotroff to come up with a list of his Top 10 vinyl releases of 2022, and it was a much harder task than Mark imagined it would be. “Paring down all the vinyl releases I’ve reviewed in 2022 into a list of just 10 choices?” was Mark’s initial reply. Nonetheless, Mark soldiered on, got his list in fine order, and shared the first 5 of his 10 choices, focusing on archival releases, plus a few bonus selections. This week, Mark shares the other 5 top-shelf choices on his list — all of them new-to-2022 releases — and here they are. . .

The Gruvy Awards are back! It’s been a minute since we’ve given any out, but we here at AnalogPlanet felt it was time to reinstate them this year and make these awards an annual event moving forward. The Gruvys are given to the best products we reviewed in calendar year 2022, the ones we found to possess a combination of high build quality, exceptional sonics, and in the case of less expensive gear, provide great value for the money. While a Gruvy indicates a product is deemed to be exceptional, products that haven’t been so awarded should not necessarily be considered unworthy. Read on to see what products made the 2022 AP Gruvy Awards cut. . .

As we enter the final home stretch of the holiday season, and — c’mon, fess up now — you’re still contemplating gift-giving options for those on your list at this late hour, we here at AnalogPlanet thought we’d lend an eleventh-hour helping ear, er, hand. To wit: We’ve compiled a hopefully helpful list of analog gear, LP, and box set-related suggestions for anyone and everyone on your list, whether they’re budding analog-audiophile newbies, inveterate collectors, discerning listeners, or hardcore gearheads. The bottom line is, all analog-comers are welcome here on AP, and now it’s time to add some much-better-than-fruitcake ideas into the holiday shopping mix. Read on to find out what we feel are some of the most wonderful — and quite affordable — holiday options for one and all. . .