LA LUNA

Branduardi continued breathless after the release of his-self titled debut to the recording process of its follow-up.''La luna'' was released a year after again on RCA,his second but also last album on this label.On this effort Branduardi collaborated among others with Italian guitarist/arranger Maurizio Fabrizio and Ultima Spaggia's bassist Gigi Cappellotto.

The style seems similar to his debut,short vocal-based tracks of Acoustic Folk with plenty of Classical references,but there are also a bit of differences to be discovered throughout.Mostly gone are the extensive string arrangements of his first album,mainly on cellos,violins and contrabass,and along with them gone is most of the intense and delicate Mediterrenean feeling.On the other hand the acoustic guitars play the basic role here,supported for another time by smooth piano and symphonic-sounding flutes,while a couple of tracks introduce another side of Branduardi,like ''La Danza'' with the banjo notes and ''Primavera'' with the rather commercial use of sax.Still the album's highlight remains Branduardi's sensational,warm and ultra-sensitive singing and his lovely vocal lines,which add another dimension to every track.

While I prefer the debut of Branduardi over ''La luna'',this album has plenty of strong content to be recommended much further to simply fans of Acoustic Contemporary Folk.Anyone into delicate arrangements along with first class vocals should approach without hesitation.