EL TOR

A lot of 3 star ratings and reviews for this one-off from Italy of all places, and for good reason. And while CITTA FRONTALE released just this one album, there are some very seasoned and talented musicians on here. When OSANNA broke up the sax player and guitarist started a band called UNO who released one album(surprise) while the singer and drummer started CITTA FRONTALE. It's surprising that both albums are so lightweight given OSANNA's reputation for heavy and adventerous music. Neither of these albums compare well to OSANNA's masterpiece "Palepoli", a huge understatement.

So we get a six piece here with the guitarist from Folk band SAINT JUST on board along with the future bass player for NAPOLI CENTRAL. Sax and keyboards as well. Apparently the name of the band was taken from a sculpture located in the Academy of Arts in Naples where some of the musicians attended. The album's title was a slang name for the cholera epidemic that hit Naples in 1973 but the band puts their focus more on the oppression and exploitation that was going on during that. Still the subject matter seems to be worthy of more serious music than we get here. Lots of flute and piano while the music is often folky and jazzy.

I'm most impressed with the drumming and the vocals, of course both former OSANNA guys but they both do stand out. The two tracks I like the best are right in the middle. "Duro Lavoro" is where they increased the passion thankfully, especially half way through. The next track "Mutatione" is a favourite for the electric piano and it is the longest one at just under 7 minutes. Least favourite is "Milioni Di Persone" a ballad-like track that makes me think maybe both of these OSANNA off-shoots thought they could make some money by going commercial.

Another 3 star review and I'm not adding anything just agreeing with the majority I suppose.