Simonluca (Alberto S. Favata) is an Italian composer, arranger and singer born in Piacenza and who moved to Milan began his artistic career in the 1960s. His albums were mainly of songwriting matrix, with some forays into Progressive in the early 70s, collaborating with musicians from the Italian scene. After 50 years from the success “Per Proteggere L’Enorme Maria” and “E La Mia Mente?” released on July 13, 2022 the new album “Mastico Asfalto” via Micio Poldo Edizioni Musicali. The opening track “Credo” begins with guitar, harmonica and the powerful voice of Simonluca, a piece with a Blues Rock sound with intense lyrics. With interesting interweaving between guitar and keyboards, he develops a good instrumental section in the central part, then returns to the vocal and in the second part concludes with the last sung parts and a solo insert. The title track “Mastico asfalto” has a songwriting approach, managing to create a more refined sound with good mixes between guitar and keyboards and a solid rhythmic session. Here too Blues Rock nuances permeate the song, with an intense vocal, the artist’s trademark. “Confini” is a softer track, with lyrics full of meaning interpreted with passion. The sound increases in intensity with the passing of the minutes, ending in crescendo, an example of excellent Italian songwriting music. With a more modern rhythmic session and interlacing between horns and piano “Fuori dal fango” has Funky and Rock veins, with refined passages. The vocal is always very intense and the lyrics of quality, alternating with instrumental parts elaborated with solo inserts of fine winds. Drums and percussion open “Numeri prigionieri” on which guitar arpeggios and Simonluca’s deep vocal are inherent. After a first introductory part, the track opens with very intense songwriting sounds with engaging choral parts, a lonely track full of pathos and good hopes. An elaborate interweaving of guitar and keyboards on a solid rhythmic session opens “Sopra I Raggi Della Luna,” with Funf and Rock traits that merge. The vocal is always very intense and alternates melodic refrains with the most energetic stanzas, an elaborate and engaging passage with instrumental and cantatas partis that alternate. The album ends with “Verso l’infinito” which is the shortest track in duration, characterized by a soft first part that evolves with a Bluesy sound. An intense and prolonged solo by virtuoso guitar accompanies us throughout the second part of the piece, concluding the disc. A listening to good Italian music, with mainly songwriting tracks with a solid sound and refined lyrics, interpreted by the unmistakable voice of Simonluca. A pleasure to be able to listen to a new album by this artist in 2022, which I appreciated for his record releases from the early 70s. An album recommended for lovers of committed Italian songwriting music and with solid instrumental parts, intense lyrics and the voice of Simonluca, the true trademark of the disc.
Tracklist
01) Credo (4:41)
02) Mastico asfalto (4:08)
03) Confini (4:53)
04) Fuori dal fango (4:49)
05) Numeri prigionieri (4:28)
06) Sopra i raggi della luna (4:39)
07) Verso l’infinito (4:36)
Lineup
Simonluca / Vocals
Marco Leo / Guitars
Edoardo Maggioni / Piano and Keyboards
Cesare Pizzetti / Double Bass
Peppe Burrafato / Drums
Lalla Francia / Chorus, Vocals on “Sopra i raggi della luna“
Simona ‘Jammin’ Bovino / Chorus
Veronica Canestrari / Chorus, Vocals on “Fuori dal fango“
Ivan Padul / Chorus
Jordan Brown / Chorus
Guest Artists:
Fabio Treves / Blues Harp on “Credo“
Claudio Bazzarri / Electric Guitar on “Confini“
Amedeo Bianchi / Saxophone on “Fuori dal fango” and “Sopra i raggi della luna“