Album – What’s It All About? – Rinaldi Sings

Posted by admin on November 24th, 2005

  • Band / Artist : Rinaldi Sings
  • Genre : Pop / Rock
  • Sample Track Download : Happy
  • Buy CD : Buy
  • Buy Digital Download : N/A
  • Rating : 9 out of 10

“My name is…..Al”, OK, OK, it’s not Alfie, but it does set the stage for what is about to come. Rinaldi Sings, “What’s It All About?” is an album that very much has it’s roots set in the 60s. From the opening track to the cover of Tony Christie’s “Avenues and Alleyways”, this album could very well have come from the archives, were it not for the hint of modern production. The band refer the genre they fall under as Norther Soul, but there’s a definite southern twang there.

I’ve see various reviews of this album that refer to it as kitsch. There’s something about that word, that to my mind pays this album a disservice. To me, Liberace, Danny La Rue and Elton John on a bad day are kitsch. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, there’s an audience for every kind of music. Rinalid Sings though, has an unmistakable sound that has many influences including Small Faces, Divine Comedy and the likes of Tony Christie and Tony Bennett.

The opening track pretty much gives you an idea of what is to come. I just wish I’d have found this album during the summer as I can just imagine having this in the CD player with the roof down. Well, that is if I had a convertible.

For me the standout track have to be Lucky Day and Come Fly With Me. The majority of artists seem to lose their accents when they sing. For Steve Rinaldi this is not the case, but that only adds to the charm of this record. A Matter of Life and Death has such a classic sound, it’s hard to believe it’s less than a year old. For me the only track that sticks out like a sore thumb is the final track, Heaven Knows. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It just doesn’t fit with the rest of the album, but that’s only a slight distraction.

Conclusion : It’s very easy to dismiss this album upon first playing, but once you’re a few tracks in, it seems to put it’s hooks into you and it doesn’t let go. In fact I started this review a few days ago and the album originally got an 8. Upon finishing the review it’s now a sure footed 9 and deservedly so.

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