DONNA PLAUTILLA

Donna Plautilla is often considered one of the less essential and masterful works of Banco, but I beg to differ. The album has an interesting early 70's prog/60s psych sound that I really enjoy. The keyboard work in particular is quite exquisite on many tracks, whether it be piano, Hammond, or another synth sound.

The album opens with the upbeat "Ed io Canto" which has an amazing opening riff. The vocal performance is not bad for it not being Francesco di Giacomo. It is my personal favorite track off the album also because of the Hammond in the song. The next song "Cantico" is not a particularly special acoustic piece but it is a little nice song. It is probably one of my least favorite tracks off the album. However, the follow-up "Piazza dell'oro (eh, eh)" is a great track off the album. The opening seconds show the piano riff with the great bass line. In my opinion, the song has a really full sound, especially with the vocals. The keyboard solo with piano and organ in the middle of the song is a really nice touch.

Mille Poesie is another highlight of the album. The slow start with the pickup, vocals, and then the guitar lick that takes it into a new section is just really great. The song includes amazing harmonies from the band that make it even better. After Mille Posesie is "Un giorno di sole." I think it is a really Beatles-Esque song that really does it for me. The piano and bass work is once again amazing. The beautiful vocals that fade out, really remind me of a late 60s psychedelic song by The Beatles or Beach Boys. Following Un giorno di sole, is Un uomo solo. It's another total Beatles/Beach Boys rip-off. The Beginning of the song is literally "Michelle" of Rubber Soul. Then it goes into this harmony that resembles something of Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys or Rubber Soul by the Beatles. I really love it though because the added Hammond makes it like a proggy version of those bands, which I already love on my own.

"Bla Bla Bla" is by far the weakest song on the album. Not because the material is necessarily bad, but it is too repetitive of the songs off the album before it. It opens with the closing riff from "Ed io Canto" and then does a slightly revamped version of "Un giorno di sole" for the rest of its run time. Its follow-up is probably the closest thing to their earlier work. It opens with haunting voices and Hammond chords, that lead into spectacular vocals. Then it takes a faster pace, with great piano, Hammond, woodwind, and percussion. Then for about a minute, the song goes into a keyboard solo that fades out, but then a short drum solo pulls the song into a jazzy little interlude that closes off the song, resembling something of Io Sono Nato Libero. The title track closer is actually very good. It has great piano and Hammond riffs along with a great bass line. It is total early 70s Hammond prog. Then the harmonized vocals come in in short interludes, and it's just amazing. The song continues at the same pace for a while with a short keyboard solo, then closes the album with the main riff.

Overall I love this album and think it's a great addition to anyone who is a fan of bands like The Beatles, Focus, The Beach Boys, and Early Banco music. I think it gets too much criticism because Francesco di Giacomo is not the vocalist. Although Francesco di Giacomo is way better than Vittorio Nocenzi, the musicianship and composition of the album make up for the inferior vocals (even though Vittorio's voice is far from bad, and has some great parts on the album). There are only 1 or 2 bad tracks in my opinion, so if you haven't check out the album!