ASSENZA DI GRAVITÀ

As I continue to further explore progressive music from Italy, a perennial ongoing hotbed of progressive rock, I am blessed to receive request for reviews from all around the Italian "boot" and I admiringly oblige. Carmine is a young musician from Campania, a singer/songwriter who currently lives in Milan, having worked as a session guitarist as well as playing recently with big name bands like the Trip and the Samurai of Prog. On this, his debut release, we find a sturdy list of collaborators such as Ovidio Catanzano and Antonio Liccardi (drums), Francesco Di Pietro (piano, synth), as well as appearances by Sasha Torrisi (former Timoria), Marco Bernard & Kimmo Porsti (the rhythm section of the Samurai of Prog), guitarist Marcus Eaton (David Crosby), Luca Sparagna (Le Orme), bassist Adrian Shaw (Hawkwind), Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio delle Clessidre), keysman Marco Grieco, Danilo Sesti, Barbara Rubin, Andrea Taddeo, Emilio Verrillo, flutist Jenny Puertas (Agusa), Roberto De Rosa on bass, Salvatore Santella on sax, keyboardist Alessandro Di Benedetti (Inner Prospekt), Andrea Ranfa (The Trip), Tony Alemanno (The Trip), Costantino Taglialatela, Ivan Santovito (IsProject), Oscar Fuentes (Days Between Stations) and Alessandro Saltarelli.

As is so often the case with the Italian School of Prog (RPI), there is always a communion of various influences that combine classical, jazz, blues, symphonic and Italian folk song (canzone Italiane). The focus here is on song writing and melody, instead of the outright technical prog exercises , so everything is more compact and bite-sized. It is quite obviously a very personal musical journal and as such, is drenched in some natural purity of intent. In the liner notes, the following says it all: "The work is intended as a kind of concept centered on a dream, Carmine's dream, which is to make his way in a fairly large and complex world. Carmine's desire leads him to fly into a gravity- free reality only to find himself in a place where a sense of lightness is the frame. The scene changes when the protagonist is war (Immobile) where those who pay the price are those people who have nothing to do with it and struggle to make it to tomorrow (Neve Nera)".

A little dreamy overture to get the juices running, an instrumental "Sogno pt1" (Dream Pt1) that features a sparkling piano and bluesy guitar announcement, defining the majestic melancholic melody, A fantastic opening salvo! The title track introduces Carmine's expressive voice, pushed along by Adrian Shaw's pulsating bass, an accessible song that offers no pretentions other than to keep things simple and powerful. The cameo synth solo is a slippery beast played by Marco Grieco, amid the slithering guitar slashes. "In un Posto Che Non C'e" (In a Place That Isn't There) is a slower ballad, presenting a rippling piano, slick backing vocals, loads of strings and mellotron, an unforeseen and warm sax foray and a brief but fiery axe solo. "Immobile" is the perfect segue, a tad more orchestral and with some twists and turns in the finale. My favourite track here and the proggiest , "Neve Nera" (Black Snow) is the third instalment, a more poignant piece that underlines a sense of effort and desperation, in light of our recent lives, I presume. Bombastic, emotional, and magnificent, a melody and a delivery to die for (literally), with brief little pools of smooth moody playing. More of this, per favore! Emilio Verrillo's bouzouki gives off this strong Mediterranean mood that just oozes sunshine and passion, as Carmine trades warm vocals with Andrea Taddeo on 'Una Valigia di Perche" (a suitcase full of why), a simple and pleasant tune. The same limpid ease continues on the rambling "Milano Gia' lo Sa" (Milano Already Knows) , crowned by a prefect guitar solo .

The finale is the is the continuation of the instrumental intro, a "Sogno Part 2" with Oscar Fuentes' silky keyboard work on synth and mellotron (Ivan Santovito on piano) and Jenny Puertas' flute work on creating a stirring melodic ending, as Marco and Kimmo take this into an elevated paroxysm of pleasure.

An artist ready to create future recordings that would expand his creative wings even more. Perhaps incorporating longer, more fleshed out tracks so as to show off his considerable skills on electric guitar.

4 southern reveries