CANVAS TWO

I am of the opinion that Alessandro Di Benedetti's ideas are best realized by himself--there's something about the versions of his songs as performed and recorded by The Samurai of Prog that have lost or diminished the heart and warmth of Alessandro's work compared to when he is in total control. This album is perhaps the best example of this phenomenon yet as there are no less than four of these songs having been "gifted" for Samurai of Prog interpretation/renderings.

1. "Glimpse" (3:06) several chords of piano arpeggi create a motif over which bass and cello join. After about 30 seconds, acoustic guitars and jazzy drums take over before cello, synth, and Pat Metheny-like guitar take turns soloing. Very nice melodic jazz very much in the vein of Pat Metheny's most accessible and heart-wrenching. (9.5/10)

2. "Soul of Hundred Lives" (17:46) great opening--one that really sucks the listener in. Two alternating notes from a piano, drumstick and cymbal percussion, syncopated thumping bass, drawn out notes from a plaintive oboe, joined by heart-wrenching melody notes from a cello, until everything just stops at the end of the third minute to make way for some bass riffs and slow playing Fender Rhodes chords. At 3:30, full band kicks into play, establishing a funky weave which eventually settles back for a vocal performance that sounds like something from either a Guy Manning album from the Naughties or one of FISH's more recent albums. At 7:40 we take a drastic turn into a Latin- flavored excursion into a kind of 1980s uptempo, happy-go-lucky pop jazz instrumental. At the end of the tenth minute, the music thickens and darkens a bit as an Arp-like synth solos for a bit. A pretty cool, easy listening venture into "Prog Lite" despite all of the layers and sophistication that Alessandro puts into the production and composition. As we progress through this multi-dimensional epic, I find myself reminded of (and, thus, inevitably comparing this to) Eric Blackwood and Pete Trewavas' 2013 masterful 67-minute epic, "Sillhouette" from their Edison's Children release The Final Breath Before November. There are striking similarites in vocals, engineering, production, and sound choices, though EC's syrupy chords and synth washed sounds are much more classic Neo Prog. Good song with a great opening whose bluesy end section turns me off a bit. (34.5/40)

3. "King of Spades" (6:49) beautiful string support for solo saxophone and vocal. Though the lead instruments are not quite as impressive as the support/background tapestry, it is beautiful music--very GENESIS-like from the Trick of the Tale/Wind and Wuthering era--even with the Latin-jazzy instrumental middle section. There is also a lot of similarities to some of the more melodic, romantic passages by THE FLOWER KINGS. (13.75/15)

4. "Why Me?" (8:07) picked 12-string guitars open this one before being joined by piano and synth strings. Nice! Turn GENESIS' "Ripples" and "A Trick of the Tail" into orchestrated film soundtracks and you'll be in the same ballpark as me. Alessandro's vocal has a very wonderful DAEVID ALLEN-like quality and even tongue-in-cheek feel to it. I love the Banco-like solo in the first central instrumental section, and then the awesome "violin" solo in the second. The jazz (13/15)

5. "Abby's Escape" (6:14) a quirky song trying to be laid back and edgie at the same time, is highlighted, for me, by the female background vocals and weakened by the GUY MANNING-like lead male vocal. (8.5/10)

6. "White Skies" (10:48) another excellent Neo Prog song with mythic inspiration and wonderful Tony Banks/Genesis-like instrumental arrangements beneath and between Alessandro's vocals. Alessandro's keyboard performances here are especially memorable and noteworthy--though the guitar performances are also quite nice. (17.75/20)

7. "The Knight and the Ghost" (9:26) here Alessandro seems to be trying to dig deep in order to replicate the quirky medi'val beauty of GENTLE GIANT but ends up sounding more like the simpler fair of STRAWBS or ADVENT. In the third minute, a Genesis arpeggio from a 12-string guitar leads us into a shift to a new motif--this one morphing into more of a Prog Lite construct with a Larry Coryell-like guitar tone soloing over the top. Digressing into a sensitive, contemplative acoustic palette at the end of the fifth minute, we soon return to the GG theme and style for a spell. The ensuing adult contemporary jazz section is full of interesting if fairly simple sounds, riffs, and soli. The vocal sections, unfortunately, never reach the heights of emotional expression that one might expect from this title and mood. Still, a very pleasant listen containing often beautiful moments and passages. (17.5/20)

8. "The Queen of Clubs" (bonus track) (3:11)

Total Time 65:27

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition of melodic Neo Prog to any prog lover's music collection. It is this reviewer's opinion that Alessandro Di Benedetti's continued commitment to delivering us beautiful jazz-tinged progressive rock should be amply rewarded and celebrated. So, check out this album! You won't be sorry!