«It's is the come-back album; back to the roots, back to the origins, with the wealth of musical and personal experience gained in recent years – Explains Luca Burgalassi – the return to Italy, in Tuscany. The return to the family, to the land of childhood and old friends, looking for the most authentic self»
Except for "The Blues and Me," which is led by Francesco Menici's piano, all of the tracks are based on the interweaving of acoustic guitars performed and recorded by Luca Burgalassi. These, along with the rhythm section of Filippo Todaro on drums and Giacomo Bertaccini on bass, form the foundation and supporting structure of the songs, on which the various solo instruments, with the participation of some guests such as electric guitars (Franco Ceccanti e Jason Cale), violin (Francesco Carmignani), harmonica (Rob Oliver e Bobby BlackHat) and other instruments like lap steel, dobro, mandolin, banjo.
"Back To The Roots" is comprised of 10 songs for 40 minutes of music. A very cool acoustic guitar riff for the opener/title track, very enjoyable, with a great solo section and overall a perfect introduction to the album's journey, with some Gospel vocals as well. "Beautiful Life" features catchy vocals and the usual quality of the guitar parts and arrangement, a constant strength of this work. More slow-paced is "Finding Love Again", an emotional ballad with some great harmonica and mandolin parts. Amazing ethnic guitars for "Black Tide", a very atmospheric and inspired tune, different from the rest and definitely one of my favourites on the album.
Among the other songs, I really appreciate the Dylanesque vibes of "Always On", the fantastic piano and melancholy mood of "The Blues and Me," and "My Blues still call your name", the rhythm section of "New Dawn", the solos and the vocal harmonies of "Staring at the moon", and the amazing guitar work (and drumming, during the second part) of "The River", the last track of the album.
This is a quality album with fantastic arrangements and production (back to the roots, I would say) and very well written and performed by all the protagonists, with all their influences and contaminations: Folk, pop, rock, and blues, all blending naturally and with quality. Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and remember to follow Luca Burgalassi on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/burgalassimusic
https://www.instagram.com/lucaburgalassi.music/
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