RICK WAKEMAN & MARIO FASCIANO: BLACK KNIGHTS AT THE COURT OF FERDINAND IV

This is Rick Wakeman with an Italian singer named Mario Fasciano. I was expecting some opera-like music, but this is not the case. This is light Prog with lyrics in Italian. Maybe fans of Italian Prog could get into this? The dominating instrument is piano, but there are occasional outbursts of other keyboard instruments as well as guitars at a few points. The sound is not really that of a full band, but rather a duet (which is indicated by the fact that the album is credited to Rick Wakeman And Mario Fasciano).

Rick's typical playing style is present and the vocals are alright, but it does not stand out in my opinion. This is certainly not one of Rick's best album, but also far from his worst.

Still, this is for fans only I think.

1) Not all the Italian singers are opera singers 2) The lyrics are not in Italian. Naples language is not understood by all the Italians, too. 3) This is NOT a new age album

Now let's see what this albun is, instead. Black knights is a contamination. The songs structure and chords are typical of Naples folk of 18th and 19th century, but the arrangements and of course, the keyboards are prog.

The concept itself is historical, so if you ever heard anything of that tradition, you can be transported back in time. Mario's voice has a high pitch, so that Jon Anderson's voice would have been good as well on those songs.

It doesn't add anything to Rick Wakeman's huge collection, but it doesn't have anything to do with "operas" like A Suite of Gods. The characteristic sound of Rick's keyboards and some passages sound very familiar. I know that it had a follow-up, but I don't know anything about it.

Give it a try, at least for the curiosity to listen to something unusual.