STORIE FUORI DAL TEMPO

Smooth rock reminiscent of early 1970s hard and pop classic rockers as well as some Neo and early RPI rockers. I like the fact that there is a presence of over 50% female energy here.

1. "Ouverture" (6:00) rockin' Neo Prog palette with a few symphonic twists and turns. (8.25/10)

2. "Mosaico di Colori" (5:13) pleasant opiate prog lite with woodwinds, melodic base and the soothing voice of Simona Rigano--quite different than the vibe of the previous song. (8.5/10)

3. "No Photo" (7:07) Prog by the numbers: Hammond, flute, and entrenched off-beat rhythm track. A watered down MYRATH feel here. Pleasant piano interlude appears in the middle feels & sounds like a folk melody from the Greek band CICCADA. Whole band joins in and plays upon it until 3:35 when there is a return to the opening motif over which Simona sings in her siren voice. Like LAGARTIJA's Sara Aliani, she has me eating out of her palm. (13/15)

4. "Pagine di Poesie" (6:45) built around vocal and flute melodies that Riccardo Principe's posse of female singers would be proud of, the tempo shift at 3:20 brings a welcome bit of excitement and complexity. Great keyboard/synth play as well. Again, Simona's warm and enchanting voice could get me to walk off a cliff. My favorite song on the album. (13.25/15)

5. "Klaus" (5:42) a little more pep and pizzaz than previous songs, the edgy-ness achieved here could almost be termed "aggressive"! All in another CICCADA-like song. (8.5/10)

6. "Morgana" (31:16) apparently, as legend has it, the sorceress Morgan Le Fay escaped Arthurian Britannia to create her crystal castle on the shores of the island of Sicily (where this band just happens to be from). As hard as they try, I can't give this more than a "good" rating. Simona's voice is far better suited to the warm and seductive than mythic storytelling. (51/60): - i) Il Sogno Rivive - nice flute and glockenspiel tradeoff before other instruments join in. Feels like a set up for a gentle ballad but flute takes the first lead, electric guitar in brief motif before Simona begins singing about the legend. - ii) Il Castello - Simona's vocal is, unfortunately, often off-pitch among this jazzier section. Nice guitar, keys, and bass work--some nice keyboard work. - iii) Negli Abissi - the best theme of the suite--love the bass sound, vocal, flute, and keys. - iv) Morgana "Theme" -Love the harp presence in this Celtic-themed piece. Wish there were no drums. - v) Puri Zaffiri - multiple vocal tracks is interesting in this poppy tune. - vi) Immagini a Distanza - interesting themes sewn together to bring the wuite to an end. Not of sure the story's conclusion, but it was probably dramatic and sad..

Total Time 62:03

My favorite elements of this album are its overall sound as well as the preponderance of beautiful melodies delivered from flute and the sultry voice of singer Simona Rigona.

B-/3.5 stars; a band with all the right sounds and intentions but with more growing to do.