A NEW BEGINNING

Music might be one of the expression forms we love the most, it embraces us the way we embrace it, so we create a lifetime relationship. This has also happened to Italian maestro Massimo Pieretti (who I thank for kindly introducing me to his music), a man who has found in music a way of life. The last year (2022) he released his first studio album that shares not only his skills as composer or performer, but also his culture as an Italian, and also as a citizen of the world.

This album consists of 15 tracks that make a total time of 45 minutes, of course Massimo Pieretti was the mastermind behind it, but he had a helping hand from a vast amount of musicians, people who shared their talent with vocals, instruments, emotions. So "A New Beginning" starts with 'Intro' which sounds like opening the eyes and see the world, then vocals surrounding you tell you this will be quite a journey. 'Oh Father' comes next, some nice electric guitar riffs appear while keyboards and drums build up the structure. Vocals join and a kind of neo-prog sound appears. There is also a constant orchestral sound, we will find it during the whole record, which is quite nice.

'In November' has acoustic guitar that nicely contrasts with synthesizers, then bass and drums join and we can feel something is coming. Backing vocals appear here and all together make a very comfortable sound, beautiful in some ways, despite there is somehow, a sense of sadness or desolation. The melancholy continues in the beginning of 'Growing Old', but it lasts only for some seconds because then the music changes, creating a bright sensation and even some Marillion feeling. The music and lyrics become emotional, and he and the band transmit it, because after all we can identify with it, with the story.

I like how female vocals take over in 'Is It That Girl Right?', it is also worth mentioning that this is like a book or film in which we see or picture characters, each of them with a voice, with a behavior, all playing a role in our story (or Massimo's story). 'Out of This World' has again female vocals, but it also includes some recorded voices from a speech I believe belongs to Chaplin off from his "The Great Dictator" film. Then it comes an 'Interlude', which is, as you can imagine, the shortest track of the album. It is first a piano piece, but then bass and sax join, creating a Floydian sound.

Have we ever wondered which are the 'Things to Live and Die For'', it is a tough question indeed, but maybe the music here can enlightend us a bit. 'Family and Business' has a rockier sound, and we can listen to a new singer here, which is something I like from this album, its diversity, its characters. The bass and organ work here are great, and then a flamboyant electric guitar appears as well.

A two-part title-track comes next. First 'A New Beginning Part A - Looking for The Best', it sounds like a note to self, because it has some spoken word at first, like looking for the best by looking at the past's mistakes, we always have to learn from our decisions, whether they are right or (mostly) wrong. And 'A New Beginning Part B - The Only Way You Can Be' starts with piano and with a fresh sound, like waking up with a smile aiming to change your life for good.

'I Hope You Will Always Be Here With Me' is an example that this record was composed and recorded with love. The music is nice, the hope and brightness is present and as I mentioned before, we can emphasize and identify with the stages of this story. We are always making questions, having doubts, taking decisions. Life is actually a cause and effect thing. And yeah, the album finishes nicely just as is began, with 'Intro Reprise' which represents what its title suggests.

But surprise. The album might have finished, but it actually hasn't! That reprise opened the gates to two reworks: 'In November' and 'Things to Live and Die For', both with acoustic versions, showing new nuances and feelings.

It might not the most prog rock album ever, but it does have prog elements, it is a conceptual album and we can appreciate it if we want to. Congrats to Massimo Pieretti for this heartfelt debut, and thanks for sharing with us part of your story.

Enjoy it!

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