IO ED IO SOLO

1974 and Tito Schipa Jr. releases his second album, again on Fonit Cetra, under the title ''Io ed io solo''.Only Mario Fales appears from the line-up of his ambitious debut, but the help Schipa receives in this work comes from significant members of the Italian Prog scene: Drummers Ruggero Stefani from L' Uovo di Colombo and Samadhi and Walter Martino from Reale Accademia di Musica, Goblin and Libra, guitarist Roberto Gardin, who had spent a short time with Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno and bassist Claudio Barbera also from Libra.A few more guests help him also on keyboards, guitars, sax and bass, while Schipa himself handles the piano and sings.

This was a different fruit compared to the grandiose ''Orfeo 9'', neither close to a Rock Opera style or a real Progressive Rock album, despite the presence of an otherwise all-star prog line-up.''Io ed io solo'' contains long, slightly melancholic and quite artistic songs, maybe close to MAURO PELOSI's early stuff, having an extremely poetical atmosphere due to the lyrical voice of Schipa.Most of them are based on orchestral strings and acoustic guitars, occasionally flavored by piano interludes, light keyboards, melodic saxes and sporadic electric moments.However the musicianship ranges mainly from Orchestral Pop to Folk Rock with minor proggy touches, the result being also comparable with ANGELO BRANDUARDI's works or NICOLA RANDONE's first album.The title track though is a nice soft Prog Rock cut close to CELESTE, STEFANO TESTA or ERRATA CORRIGE with good organ parts and smooth interplays contained.Notice that the whole B-side is captured by the 22-min. ''Alberto, un millennio se ne va'', which is actually a very good example of Theatrical Progressive/Art Rock, swirling among jazzy interludes, light symphonic vibes and a typical Italian Singer/Songwriter style.Excellent vocal arrangements, lots of electric guitars, relaxed solos and rural inspirations result a long opus, that maybe not outstanding, but definitely has its moments, especially on the good instrumental moves, that lack a bit of energy but are full of emotional melodies.Even the mood has a nice range, from darker and melancholic moments to more optimistic and pleasant orientations.

Schipa continued to release albums for a while, like the 3-LP ''Er DomPasquale'', based on a reworking of Donizetti's Don Pasquale, or ''Concerto per un primo amore'', released in 1982, where Schipa was supported by the excellent Prog group Horus, but both of them were far from his prog past.In 1988 he released ''Dylaniato'', based on the work of Bob Dylan, and since the 90's he has been working as a soundtrack composer and film director.

While not equal in terms of music value with ''Orfeo 9'', ''Io ed io solo'' is a nice example of twisting, theatrical and lyrical Italian Art Rock, perfect item for anyone searching for some atmospheric content and delicate melodies in his music.Warmly recommended.