CONCERTO ACUSTICO

I am familiar with this band since their debut CD in the early Nineties. Because the Italian prog is so prolific you have to make choices and I decided to check out other bands. So after all the years, this is my first renewed musicial encounter with Il Castello Di Atlante. The five musicians deliver an 'unplugged' concert, recorded halfway this year in Italy. I love 'unplugged' gigs because the surprising element like on the 'Unplugged' CD's by Nirvana, Golden Earring, Neil Young and Stevie Ray Vaughan. But back to prog, more than one hour the band plays violin-drenched music featuring a wonderful harmony between all the instruments like piano, drums and guitars along warm, a bit melancholical vocals. Some songs contain pleasant soli on piano and acoustic guitar and we can also enjoy a few accellarations like in the catchy Semplice ..ma non Troppa (with strong hints from PFM). If you like folky inspired prog, this CD will please you.

Except saying 'gracie' after each track, it has almost no flaws. Well, why it annoys me ? Nothing big, but why to overuse this word. Don't worry, this has no influence on rating. (Oh, track just ended and this 'thank you' is like one nail to the coffin). OK, not so fair beginning and also not optimistic one, so:

Overall feeling about this album is good, their work (which I don't know) in acoustic version, just great. I wanted to say that there's big dominance of strings, but correct word would be rather fiddles. It really reminds me certain parts of country music at times. Tracks are both instrumental and voiced ones, singer has pleasant voice. And not only voice, music itself has somehow warm feel, cozy atmosphere. Not much of death metal here.

Drums, piano, fiddles, voice a, guitar sometimes and that's all. This music survived very well this transformation to acoustic version. And also I see it as voyage home to roots of RPI, pure essence of what forms this genre.

Five stars for me, beautiful solos, pleasant music Rock progressivo in full blossom.