COME UN VECCHIO INCENSIERE ALL'ALBA DI UN VILLAGGIO DESERTO

Alan Sorrenti's second album "Come un vecchio incensiere all'alba di un villaggio deserto" was recorded in London in 1973 with the help of some special guests like Francis Monkman (Curve Air) on synthesizer, piano and guitar and David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generator) on flute. The follow-up of the beautiful "Aria" is not as good as its predecessor but it's not without good moments. Alan Sorrenti's experimental vocals are still in the forefront exploring new territories while the music doesn't reach the same peaks of intensity of "Aria" and lyrics are less inspired.

The opener is a dark acoustic ballad "Angelo" featuring flute and suggestive percussion. Lyrics describe in a visionary way a painful waiting and a broken promise. The second track, "Serenesse", is about the difficult to communicate with other people. Hate and fear are like ditch that you have to cross trying to walk on a thin bridge to reach the other side where you can find love. This song was chosen as single and probably is the most accessible on the album featuring a joyful violin and a flute that counter point vocals.

"Una luce si accende" (A Light turns on) is a melancholic ballad featuring delicate violin passages... "A light turns on / And already you can hear a lover's kiss / And what am I if I have not the boldness to love / What have I if I haven't got the courage to love?". It's not exactly a love song but a song about the emptiness provoked by lack of love...

"Oratore" (Speaker) is an experimental acoustic track featuring good melodic hints and foggy lyrics... "The sun was looking at us from the other side of the motorway / While you, speaker, where speaking...". Well, sometimes speeches can be meaningless and this track in my opinion is not completely convincing.

Next comes "A te che dormi" (For you who are sleeping), where on an acoustic strumming guitar background soaring unquiet vocals draw a troubling lullaby... "Sleep, you'll find me deep inside the lake / While I'm playing with the moon / That hides herself when you arrive...".

The final title track is a long suite, somehow confused, too experimental and almost pretentious, despite the excellent work of percussionist Toni Esposito and some good melodic lines. It's about death and rebirth from the ashes, a mystical patchwork that lacks of melodic coherence and risk to lead to boredom.

On the whole this is a good album, but not an essential one.