SCONCERTO

If I could give this 3.5 stars I would. Being a huge fan of the Italian scene, as well as fusion in particular, this one didn't really deliver a lot of meat. So why the 3.5 stars? The musicianship and production quality are top-notch, so it's a great "sounding" album. But while it does a fine job of mining the Weather Report meets the Italian sun schtick, its songs are a bit far from overly memorable.

The band have a tight, energetic sound but too often take a "proggy groove" and milk it a little too far. More developed and structured solos might have helped balance the songs against what is a great rhythm section that drives the album. I haven't heard the second album that's a follow up to this, would be curious if their songwriting took a leap forward or if they still rested on their (considerable) muscianship.