IL PITTORE VOLANTE

Second album, released 38 (!) years after the debut sounds ... weird. Whenever RPI golden age is gone around same time ago, it was interesting to listen, how could it sound now. Can't say I am impressed at all.

First of all, it is singing poetry. With melodic and even beautiful support from folk-neoclassic-baroque chamber team of musicians,playing vintage folk rock. Strongly influenced by Italian pop-music of last 3 decades. No, it's not San Remo funny reincarnation, happily. This music is rooted in some decades of Italian singing poetry-urban-pop songs tradition. Half-spoken singing or over dramatic pop-operatic vocals , plenty of acoustic balladry guitar, minstrels aesthetics. Nice operatic female back-vocals though.

To be honest, there are some rock elements as well. Time to time you can hear keyboards passages and even hard rocking guitar solos. But don't worry, it's just some internal attributes. They don't destroy scenic beauty of minstrel and supporting band.

Possibly, this music has it's beauty, especially if you like European singing poetry. Not too complex, and hardly progressive at all, this is nice example of such genre, popular around Europe and represented by hundred minstrels from different countries. Even more - this album obviously has its Italian signature - more polished sound, plenty of baroque elements, dramatic bombastic emotive atmosphere, usual for Italian music melodies.

The main question for me is how could such music be connected with RPI phenomena from seventies? I tried hard , but besides of some same names I didn't find that connection at all.

Possibly, I am wrong person for such music - I don't like over emotive sweetie singing, romance guitars, dramatic looks and pop-music, wearing intellectual clothes. But it's just me.

My rating - 2,5, rounded to 3.