THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

This may seem to be a band, but Sad Minstrel is actually a solo project by Malombra keyboard player Fabio Casanova. Only one of the songs is sung in Italian, with the rest in English although lyrics to all are provided in the booklet in both languages. It is an album that is extremely deep, full of layers, that belongs to a time long ago. It is the sort of album that was favoured in the Seventies, with lots of acoustic guitar and flute intermingling with dramatic vocals and keyboards. Electric guitars also play their part but often these are in the background providing emphasis as opposed to cranking out the riffs, in fact it is sometimes a mandolin that is the lead.

Although Fabio did much of the programming and pre-production at home it seems almost inconceivable that he managed to record the whole album in less than eighty hours. It isn't all quiet reflection as the title cut itself shows, which contains many elements more normally associated with rock. It is music that will be of great interest to those that want their music to be both approachable and accessible yet at the same time to be different to the norm; an intriguing album that brings the listener in to a world of Fabio's creating. For more details contact the label at www.blackwidow.it

Originally appeared in Feedback #74, Jun 03