TUSCANY

Renaissance are back!!Well actually this album deserves a "2 stars and an half" rating, cause my enthusiasm is soon interrupted after the first splendid vocal intro by Annie Haslam, concerning "Lady from Tuscany", becoming in a few aggressive passages a bit boring...obviously you have to forget their glorious past and think of the recent issues by Annie Haslam, in order to understand that her elegant pop/romantic soft rock is partially resembling the atmosphere of "Ashes are burning" or - if you prefer- is a modern and anyway sensible version of such an old album!! Moreover the lyrics are quite disappointing, sometimes banal, despite of their approach remaining the same!! All the tracks are fluent and sensible, but without the pathos of the old times, despite of their compactness (except on the "easy-listening" track "Life In Brazil"...). Instead try to listen to the last track "One Thousand Roses" and finally you find their taste for their old mood: that is a "romantic prog" mood, enriched with a delicious and simple solo as well, at the keyboards,plus an aggressive refrain too!! So I don't know whether this is enough to make this album recommended or not, but anyway you can check it out at least!!