Perfect sound and song with a little too much lard

First of all: The album BETTER THAN HOME is soundwise produces perfect, the more quiet songs are very melodious and above all sang well above ground! What I, however, even after repeated listening can not make friends, are the arrangements. In particular the use of strings sounds to me personally too shallow, partly to corny and bombastic. Three examples: The beautiful ballad "Tell Her You Belong To Me" is perfect and perfectly sung rock, but the string phrases and this strange waltz-Touch do not match the Blues by Beth Hart. Or: "We're Still Living In The City" sounds by the Arrangement rather corny and more like Barry Manilow as to Janis Joplin. And: "Mechanical Heart" reminds the bombastic orchestral rather use the Euro Vision Song Contest as a blues festival.

I find that Beth Hart neither backing singers, strings or even big band brass needs. The simple rock Instrumentation (piano, guitar, bass, drums) is simply appropriate for the blues-rock of Beth Hart - as LIVE AT PARADISO impressively documented.
But again: Better than home is not a bad album. Alone for the grandiose, soulful "Tell 'Em To Hold On" and the very soulful title track it is worth buying. Maybe an Unplugged version was a good idea: only Beth Hart on piano or acoustic guitar ...

Overall, it is clear with this album, how different is the music of Beth Hart. And that is also reflected in the audience resists, as I was able to experience recently in Cologne: Some want to artful guitar blues à la Bonamassa hear; the others come to witness the swearing rock voice that their drug past rocks from the body and screams. I tend towards the latter. But that's a matter of taste and suspenseful in any case.

To all who want to hear Beth Hart with quieter tones, but rocky and without strings-lard is, at this point the outstanding album MY CALIFORNIA highly recommended!

ADDENDUM (May 1, 2015)
The acoustic version of the beautiful ballad ST. TERESA is the hidden treasure of BETTER THAN HOME for me. Sounds authentic, honest, insistent and better than all the rest of the album: only Beth and her piano, with no dripping sound, simple and ingenious! For full five stars.

Why this pearl is available only in the download area and not on the CD, and why the buyers of the CD Deluxe Edition only receives the "simple" MP3 version by AutoRip, is beyond me. Commercialism? Regardless, the additional 1.29 EUR for this treasure, I can get over.

ADDENDUM (May 3, 2015)
Have just the right Amazon MP3 version, so the deluxe edition obtained. The link was not true. Now, should also receive two additional bonus tracks that are available only in the download version via AutoRip so any buyer of the Deluxe CD. Super!