A NEW BEGINNING

Massimo Pieretti's debut album A New Beginning is an eclectic prog opera with a plethora of guest artists from a pot- pourri of Italian musicians and vocalists. The intriguing storyline is about holding onto family values, discarding political principles to embrace freedom and the attempt to understand the behaviours of others in order that the world can be a better place.

There are so many styles of music on offer here but the album really shines on the vocals, female vocals are welcome to break it up too, and the musicianship is excellent especially those electric guitar passages and keyboards.

Highlights are Is It That Girl Right?, Out of This World, Family and Business and all sections of A New Beginning, Looking for the Best and The Only Way You Can Be. I like how the tracks are short so you can lock onto the melodies easily. The lead guitar is phenomenal on tracks such as The Only Way You Can Be where it soars and the gentle playing on the beautiful I Hope You Will Always Be Here with Me, accompanied by lovely female vocals. The democratic political rally sound Byte from Chaplin's The Great Dictator was a fascinating choice satirising the political landscape which happens to be in tumult in USA now; a coincidence to hear it today for me but amusing nonetheless.

This is an album worth hunting down online, bandcamp has it though unfortunately not yet on Spotify. In any case seek this one out as it is emotionally charged and a powerful uplifting listening experience.