A NEW BEGINNING

Today I'll be reviewing Italian prog musician Massimo Pieretti's 2022 debut album, "A New Beginning". He recently PM'd me to request a review, as he is preparing to release his second full length album later this year. As always, I am reviewing it as I hear it, and this is a cold listen. He is not compensating me in any way for reviewing it outside of sending me a digital zip file of the tracks. Massimo has played with fusion band Orphinskij, as well as performing with several tribute bands. He is a keyboardist and composer and recorded this album with 28 different collaborators! One of the collaborators is Ray Weston of prog veterans Echolyn. The album has been called an autobiographical concept album. The songs range in length from just over 1 minute to around 4:30. Let's check it out!

Track 1 - Intro

The music begins peacefully with a note fading in and orchestration and then vocals being added. The lyrics are in English. By around 1 minute the music begins to have some rhythm but retains its orchestral nature. This is a very pleasant introduction to the album.

Track 2 - Oh Father

This begins with a drumbeat. The band joins in after a few bars with a guitar solo supported by other instruments. The vocals that join in are very clear and intonated. The meter is in 4, but syncopated. The song is a mellow ode to his father, saying "It was a lesson of love." I like the drum fill at around 2:40. Nice track.

Track 3 - In November

A bit of nylon string guitar kicks this off, and swelling synth notes join in. The meter is in 6-8 but syncopated. I like the pulsing bass line. There are many layers of octave-unison singing. Some spoken words fill in between the verses. At around 2:50 a guitar countermelody enters. A short wind sound-effect ends the song. Pretty good track, with several interesting things happening.

Track 4 - Growing Old

This one begins with synth chords at a slow tempo. Piano and fretless bass join in, creating a rhythm. The full rhythm section enters at around 40 seconds. This one has an almost breezy melody in the lead vocals. I like the echo vocals in the chorus. I like when the vocalist goes into the higher register. Nice crescendo around 3:20. The rhythm changes to a half time feel. This is my favorite track thus far.

Track 5 - Is It That Girl Right Another mellow track, with female vocals this time. Jazzy chords on the electric piano. It reminds me a bit of late 70s pop music. I like the bridge; the vocalist does a nice job of carrying the melody.

Track 6 - Out of this World

This begins with interesting synth tones and more female vocals singing in an ethereal way. I like the feel when the rhythm kicks in. As the verse begins there are many layers of vocals, with lots of reverb, giving the effect of a cosmic choir. In the second half of the song there is a man's voice with a British accent apparently giving a pep-talk to soldiers. The musical accompaniment fades out near the end leaving the voice to complete the track on its own.

Track 7 - Interlude

Piano and synth play a peaceful melody. Other instruments join about halfway through. The track is what it says it is.

Track 8 - Things to live and to Die For

An interesting, syncopated drumbeat starts it off and other instruments soon join, creating an attention getting atmosphere. The vocals join with a male singing. This one is in 6-8. A female voice joins in singing an octave above on the chorus. She ad libs a bit on the second verse. I like how the intensity builds near the end.

Track 9 - Family & Business

The synth sound that starts this one off presents an air of foreboding. I like the guitar line that comes in. The male vocalist on this one has a bit more grit to his voice. This one is rocking slightly harder than most of the previous tracks. I like the call and response nature of the chorus. During the guitar solo that follows, there is a chant being said. Nice soloing from the guitarist on this track! This one is also one of my favorite tracks on the album. Well done!

Track 10 and 11 - A New Beginning (Part A) Looking for the Best, and (Part B) The Only Way You Can Be

(In the files that Massimo sent me, these tracks are combined into one with a total running time of just over 4 minutes; they are apparently separate on CD versions of the album.)

A piano chord and tubular bell accompanies a spoken voice that sets the mood for the song. The song is saying that "We must look for the best." A positive message indeed in these trying times. I like the instrumental arrangement. The Italian accent comes through quite strongly from the vocalist on this track, giving it a bit of charm to my American ears. The second part of the song doubles the tempo from the ballad-like tempo of the first section. The positive vibes continue. I like the tempo changes for the guitar solo, which ends in a nice crescendo as the vocals return. Strong guitar playing continues and the vocals go more to the background and provide a bit of a countermelody. Great arrangement as the song comes to a close. This is definitely a centerpiece of the album.

Track 12 - I Hope You Will Always Be Here with Me

Piano and lead guitar start this off, and then the rhythm section establishes a moderate tempo, before vocals join in. This vocalist on this track is a female with a very rich voice that reminds me of the late Karen Carpenter with an accent. (Turns out her name is Kate Nord, see the video link below.) Massimo's lyrics are very positive and optimistic. I believe I hear some mellotron. Nice octave jump in the vocals around 2:40, followed by a great high ad lib! Strong lead guitar accompanies the vocals. Strong track.

Track 13 - Intro Reprise

Nice organ tones with chords that shift between uplifting and foreboding. This closes the album proper.

(Note: There are two acoustic versions of tracks from the album that follow, but since I normally don't review bonus tracks, I will not formally review them here.)

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

If you are looking for odd-metered music with lots of fiddly-twiddly bits, this is NOT the album for you. However, if you want to hear a very heartfelt and personal album, with some good playing and several fine vocalists, then check out Massimo's album! The album does have a bit of a homemade aura about it, as it is self-produced, but it is all clean and well-mixed. I found it to be an enjoyable listen. Massimo's optimism and positive vibes flowed through these performances of his compositions. I believe he is off to a good start here and I see that he has just released a live album containing much of this material on his Bandcamp page as I type this on Friday Feb. 21, 2025. (He also sent me a press release regarding this album, which I will post in the comments if I can.) I'll give this album a 4 out of 5 stars.

In addition to this full album, and the freshly released live album, Massimo has also released an EP titled "Creatures of the Night" in 2024. His new album is planned for release later in 2025 and to be titled "The Next Dream"

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