CERCANDO L'ORO

While we can argue the merits and pitfalls of free trade from a political perspective, few would dispute that, musically speaking, open borders are the way to go. I admit to a certain bias, as foreign crooners make me swoon. But I'm late to the table, and, until recently, I had not heard of ANGELO BRANDUARDI. It took a couple of mentions here on PA (thanks Raff) and a sample tune sent by a friend (thanks Paco) to awaken my interest, so I set about to acquire a first Branduardi album, which led me to "Cercando l'oro".

It didn't hurt that my perennial favourite ALAN STIVELL guests on a couple of tracks, the better being "La giostra", where the verdant fields of Brittany and Wales are evoked even before the pipes burst in. In general, this is a soft classical folk album with more than a few soft rock colours and a progressive foundation. Within that seemingly narrow range, Branduardi fans out in all directions like a modest peacock, from the infectious opener "Il Lobro" to the quasi Caribbean title cut to pastoral "Natale" to the Irish Italian marriage of "Profumo D'Arancio". My personal choice is "La Volpe", thanks partly to its sultry rhythms and brass. This is thinking person's music that gently imposes itself. Don't expect an initial outburst of "wow", just a quiet "mmm".

Whether "Cernando L'Oro" is the most representative of Branduardi's work, or the best place to start, I have no idea, but I think it will satisfy those of you with a penchant for mellow Italian soundscapes in search of a heart of gold.