MELOPEA

By 1973 Nebbia had set up his own backing group, also known as Litto Nebbia trio, with him singing and playing guitars and keyboards, Jorge Gonzalez on bass and Nestor Astarita on drums.His next album ''Melopea'' was named after the greek work of the ability of a musician to create melodic songs based on texts and poems.This word would also become the name of Nebbia's label, established in early-80's.It was released in 1974 on RCA, featuring Jazz guitarist Rodolfo Alchourrón, Rodolfo Mederos, sax/flute player Hector Bingert and Mirtha Delfipo.

The album consisted of 13 short tracks, forming a long Melodic Pop Rock suite, highlighted by Nebbia's poetic voice and the mass of electric and acoustic shifts.Part of this work sounds like a rather typical Singer/Songwriter album with lots of vocals, acoustic interludes and pretty conventional song structures, basically focusing on melodies.But several spins will surface lots of hidden treasures.Nebbia had colored his lyrical style with influences from Psychedlic Rock, Jazz and Orchestral Music, starting with dominant string sections, passing by sweet, psychedelic soundscapes with irritating musicianship and flirting with Jazz/Fusion, based on the flawless guitar solos of Alchourron and the sax lines of Bingert.''Melopea'' still suffers from some syrupy melodies of a poppier approach, but it marks a nice step forward for Nebbia as a composer.The material is refined, well-built around the different influences and the arrangements are tight with memorable tunes.The guest list appears to have been a great help for the trio, even if extended instrumental themes are absent.The music in the background is very good with intense textures and atmospheric passages, offering a good result combined with Nebbia's lyrical presence.

Argentinian vocal-based Psych/Prog with touches from Jazz and Pop.Old-fashioned listeners will love this album.Warmly recommended.