Michele Biondi – World Traveler
11 songs time – 41:27
The music by Italy’s Michele Biondi and band is well played, bordering on blues and blues-rock. He is a well-versed guitar player backed by an excellent harmonica player, bass player and drummer. He wrote ten of the eleven songs. The problem for American ears is his accent, which is no fault of his, but it makes trying to make heads or tails out of the lyrics a real chore. You can pick out some words, but others are indecipherable. Other than the music, it is an awkward listen.
I will just give a musical description of most songs. The guitar and harmonica interact well throughout. The band achieves an upbeat boogie on “Lonely And Lost”. Michele commits well executed slide guitar on “Another Shot” and Robert Johnson’s “Come On In My Kitchen”. “Come On In My Kitchen” fares better because most blues fans already know the words. A lyric sheet would have helped immensely. “Tearing Me Apart” is bolstered by good hearty riffing.
It is great to hear blues played so well and authentically by international bands, but sadly sometimes accents can interfere with the listening experience. The band is a skilled and tight as a bull’s butt outfit, no denying it. Michele is a master guitarist that has absorbed all the nuances the blues vernacular. The interweaving of his guitar and Andrea Maffei’s harmonica result in a pleasing musical experience. Angelo Carmignani on drums and Giovanni Grasso on bass are an above average rhythm section. The exuberance shown on “Joy” and throughout can’t be overlooked. If you can get by the accent situation, there is some great music within.
