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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
There are times when you put a record on and, within minutes, you immediately fall in love with it. The love then grows as the tracks run through the Hi-Fi and you find yourself in an uplifted spirit, grateful to the art of music to allow you to receive a bucket of emotions in one, big, intense shot.
These are the feeling that Yours Truly felt by listening to a record that has come out some time ago last year in 2016 called Rain, by one of the most eclectic and talented group of musicians around, Lew Jetton & 61 South.
Robert Lewis Jetton is one of those people that you don't really know whether to envy because of the bags of skills he owns as a singer, songwriter and guitarist or just love unconditionally because in front of such craftsmanship, you just have to bow and enjoy the music.
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Sometimes you have to hit the ground really hard to understand and appreciate who you are, where you come from, what you have and what you can be. When, back in 2009, prodigy guitarist, singer and songwriter Eric Gales was detained in prison for possessions of drugs and a weapon, the world must have fallen on the American artist's shoulders like a ton of bricks. That was a time in which Gales regained, during his detention, the will to be not just a better person but also to learn to focus on what Mother Nature had gifted him with, his enormous talent as a musician.
Almost 8 years along the line and Gales has now fully embraced this new-found philosophy of life. The 2011 album Transformation had shown already very promising signs of an artist willing to claim again full music royalty through a well-crafted record but his brand new album, Middle Of The Road, pushes definitely and very deservedly Gales right back to the olympus of music business.
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Love is an extraordinary gift in every sense of the word. When English artists Simon Campbell and Suzy Starlite got married in 2014, their union wasn't just simply a natural combustion of two loving souls but also the union of two very talented musicians with one, big passion in common: the Blues.
After working very hard in the last 24 months on writing and recording over 60 songs, the two artists finally managed to put together their debut album as Starlite Campbell Band, called Blueberry Pie.
It's an album that shows many interesting sides of these two fine musicians. Comprising eleven original tracks, Blueberry Pie is a record that shows the great versatility of both Campbell (Vocals, Guitars and Percussion) and Starlite (Bass, Vocals) as songwriters, as well as singers too.
Supported by two impressive musicians like Steve Gibson on Drums and Percussion and Jonny Henderson on Hammond Organ and Wurlitzer Piano, Starlite and Campbell offer an eclectic collection of songs, with a definite blues/rock imprint that goes back to a late 60's, early 70's era.
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
It's fair to say that for every artists, it always comes a moment in their careers in which they need to close a circle. For years, fans and music lovers in general had requested a greatest hits from the Italian Maestro Roberto Cacciapaglia and their wish has finally become reality.
Atlas, Cacciapaglia's new release, is a double CD that encapsulates perfectly the artistic path of the Italian artist through 28 tracks, mostly belonging to the later releases of Cacciapaglia's extraordinary career.
The choice of the setlist may seem, at first glance, just a casual compilation of the Maestro's most famous tunes composed in the last quarter of the century. In reality, Cacciapaglia builds very carefully and cleverly the sequence of tracks present on Atlas, alternating moods and atmospheres through some truly sublime and inspired piano movements coming from Cacciapaglia's most recent discography like Canone Degli Spazi, Alphabet, Ten Directions, Quarto Tempo, or some slightly more dated, like Sonanze and Incontri Con L'Anima, amongst others.
The Italian Maestro, which has always been working with some of the finest musicians in the world, gifts the listeners, as an extra added bonus on Atlas with two new and very evocative tunes, Reverse and Mirabilis. Cacciapaglia had composed those new tunes prior to the release of this greatest hits and then he recorded them with the musical support of the very talented young musicians of the Celestia Chamber Orchestra last year, during the Tree Of Life Tour.
One of the most touching moments of the album is the Italian Maestro's homage to the life and career of the late great David Bowie, through a delicate and delightful piano version of Starman, one of the most iconic songs written by the English artist throughout his glorious career. Cacciapaglia treats the tune with the greatest respect possible, creating a dreaming arrangement with tinges of melancholy and drama. The whole, executed in the inimitable, exquisite and unique style and charisma that have been the trademark of every record of the Italian Maestro.
Atlas may be, or may be not, Cacciapaglia's own way to close a musical circle before launching himself into the next musical chapter of his splendid career and time will surely tell us more. What we have here, for old and new fans of the Italian artist, is a timeless record that photographs perfectly the past and the present of one of the giants of Contemporary Classical music. An outstanding statement of talent and brilliancy of one of the most inspired, intuitive and creative musicians of this generation.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Atlas is out now and it is available via Amazon
"Buy a record, support the artists, preserve the future of music"
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
It has been a long time coming for the Philly-born artist Tom Craig and the collective Soul Patch to release their debut album. When Craig and drummer John O' Connell started their partnership almost a decade ago, they were far from imagining that they would have been able to put together, through the years, a group of such highly skilled musicians like Soul Patch truly are.
Craig is certainly a man of many musical virtues. There is no doubt that, besides his great ability on guitar and good songwriting style, it is his voice that is the real deal on Craig and Soul Patch's splendid debut record, Get Ready For Me. The singer/songwriter certainly chiseled the songs on the album in a way that would strongly fit and display his crisp, deep and dazzling voice.
Get Ready For Me is an enchanting record, a timeless capsule of Philadelphia Soul, R&B, Jazz, Funk and Blues. It's a breathtaking rollercoaster ride into two decades of music, the 60's and the 70's through 12 original songs all written (and sang) by Craig and masterfully executed by the Soul Patch.
The synchronicity and the interplay between Tom Craig's wonderful voice and the Soul Patch compact, harmonious and rich sound is pitch perfect. It's that magic harmony that comes from years spent playing together, it doesn't matter the genre they play.
How Did I Break The Rules is a song that seems to come out of Wilson Pickett's songbook that Craig makes his own, through a very solid vocal performance. Tornado is also another fun tune, part R&B, part Soul, with a spectacular performance of the whole of Soul Patch, with some particular brilliancy displayed by John O' Connell on drums and Eric Johnson on organ too.
Can't Stop Thinking About You is a sassy tune that echoes smokey club's atmospheres, with Craig commanding the tempo on the tune superbly through his robust vocals and a swagger second to none. The Soul Patch's Horn Section does a stellar job on the song, playing a massive part in the cheeky vibes that this tune carries within.
When it comes the time for some Blues on Get Ready For Me, Craig allows also his natural talent as a guitarist to shine too, as he so well does on tracks like Please Forgive Me Baby and She Did It To Me (She'll Do It To You). The latter showcasing also Craig's best vocals on the whole record.
Get Ready For Me is not just a record that you can listen to a bunch of time, enjoy and then put apart as you would do with many other. It is an inspirational, genuine, true work of love and passion for music and a sincere tribute to the values that this wonderful art carries within made by a tremendously skilled group of musicians. A record of high artistic excellence.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Get Ready For Me is out now and it is available via CD Baby
"Buy a record, support the artists, preserve the future of music"
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
When the 2014 Too Many Roads album came out, half of the music press worldwide finally tributed Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado, desevedly so, as one of the hottest blues/rock bands around. It was a breakthrough record that brought Risager and the band to the attention of a more international audience, thanks to an irresistible combination of great songs, Risager's formidable talent as a singer-songwriter and performer and The Black Tornado's huge musical craftmanship.
For those who followed the Danish artist's career since the beginning, they know very well that there are a lot more layers of sounds and musical influences in Risager's background, beside the blues and rock genres that brought him and The Black Tornado to global popularity.
Their brand new album, Change My Game, would lead, through its title, to believe to a new change of artistic direction for Risager & Co. Instead, the Danish singer/songwriter & The Black Tornado deliver a record that incorporates the collective's love and devotion for music in its globality, through eleven of the best songs that Thorbjorn Risager has ever written in his glorious career.
Change My Game is a fascinating, sophisticated and compelling record that carries many strengths within, like strong melodies, energy and, occasionally, a little darkness too.
The opening track, I Used To Love You, has got that very same "noir" feeling that the album cover has. Risager's fabulous vocals and The Black Tornado's soul-tinged performance on this track match each other in perfect harmony and simmetry.
When the music tempo starts to rise, the listeners are taken into an eclectic and highly entertaining joyride of funk (Dreamland, Change My Game), southern-rock (Hard Time, Maybe It's Alright), blues (Holler 'N' Moan, Train) and rock (Hold My Lover Tight and the closing City Of Love), the whole played, sang and executed by Risager and The Black Tornado at the highest standard imaginable.
The song Lay My Burden Down, among an already impressive album setlist, deserves a separate mention. Risager sings with the class, pathos and finesse of a true Chansonnier on this very evocative tune, with The Black Tornado providing the most perfect soundtrack to, perhaps, some of the darkest and, at the same time, most intense lyrics of the album.
Change My Game is a superbly written, played and produced record. There is not a single note misplaced throughout the whole album. Risager's songwriting is impeccable and his voice has never sounded better than this. The Black Tornado too proved, once again, why they are one of the top five best studio and live bands in the music business.
The year 2017 marks through the release of Change My Game, another defining moment in the career of the Danish artist and his collective in what it is, undoubtedly, their best ever album to date.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Change My Game is out now and it is available via Ruf Records
"Buy a record, support the artists, preserve the future of music"
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Ben Granfelt is certainly one of the most hard working rock musicians around. In a career span that has seen him playing with some true iconic bands like Wishbone Ash and Leningrad Cowboys amongst others, the Finnish guitarist has then embarked a successful solo career since 1993, becoming one of the most acclaimed live rock acts in many parts of the world.
His brand new album, Another Day, sees him joining forces again with his old fellow friend and prodigy drummer Miri Miettinen (Laurence Jones, Erja Lyttinen), who worked with Granfelt on his first 10 solo album and his trusted, longstanding bass player John "Groovemaster" Viherva.
Another Day, which has been entirely recorded just in three days, captures perfectly the musical simmetry between Granfelt and his band, showcasing as well some inspired songwriting as an extra added bonus to Granfelt's new album.
One of the most interesting aspects of the record as well, it's Granfelt's transition on his guitar playing style, which seems often to nod towards a more blues/rock type of sound, still maintaining though a steady foot in his rock and roll roots.
There is also a great immediacy about Another Day, which comes by cutting the album entirely live, in its recording process. In view of that, one can easily forgive some minor imperfections, at times, on the record, because they are the obvious results of the live recording, something that help the listeners to appreciate even more the rawness and purity of the power trio sound.
There are some greatly entertaining moments in Another Day. Hangman's Tree and Rocking The Boat are fast and furious numbers, while Open Road, Open Book and Heart On Your Sleeve are clear signs of Granfelt's love and appreciation for blues/rock.
What sums Granfelt's class, as a guitarist, is the beautiful and delicate instrumental Endless. The tune, placed cleverly as centrepiece in the album's setlist, shows clearly why Ben Granfelt is one of the most respected and revered guitarists around of the last three decades of rock and roll.
Another Day marks a welcomed return to form for the Finnish Guitar Maestro, able to display, on this record, more and more layers of his talent both as a musician and as a songwriter. An impressive record and a strong step forward for Granfelt's music career.
Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
Another Day is out now and is available via Bluesland Productions
"Buy a record, support the artists, preserve the future of music"
