ULTREIA (CANZONI SULLA VIA - ATTO 1)

The name "Randone" is the name of the Italian musician Nicola Randone which has made some records now and his sixth one came last year, a little more than exact a year ago and it is called "Ultreia". His first record was released 2002. This record has a nice cover with a stone formation on a field somewhere on the countryside.

The musicians are Randone on vocals, guitar and keyboard, Livio Rabito on bass and jew's harp, Riccardo Cascone on drums, Marco Crispi on guitar, Maria Modica on vocals, Beppe Crovella on keyboards, Carmelo Corrado Caruso on opera vocals, Massimo Sammito on flute and harmonica and Enrico Giurdanella on crystal singing bowls. The provide us an odd album which mixes styles from rock music and metal to folk songs and opera. I won't argue I understand what the lyrics and the story is about but I guess it's a story that goes from the beginning to the end.

"Ultreia" is an interesting record with songs of high quality and it starts good with the title track "Ultreia" which I also think is the album's best(9/10) and the great standard and the big interest the music gives me follows further in the five following songs La Cabra Negra, I Canto della Vita, Mariposas, Soy Peregrino and Qui Ed Ora(8/10) amongst which many are long(or short) and contains much of interest for prog lovers. Unfortunately I think the standard of the second half of the album is a bit less interesting and more mainstream. But over all this is very good music. One of the best aspects of the music is the opera involvements in some songs. They lift the music together with the folk songs and the talanted instrumentalists.

I especially recommend you to listen to the albums first half but the whole record deserves respect and I look forward to hear more from this artist. Four stars from me(3.63)