Regular Columnists

Artist: Rob Falgiano
Album: Red
CD Review: Already armed with numerous awards and honors, spots opening for more than a dozen national recording artists, and six independent full-length CDs to his credit, Rob Falgiano's latest disc, Red, shows his adventurous spirit lives on in a convincing fashion.

Throughout the discs twelve tunes, Falgiano and co-producer Mike Atherton effortlessly walk the fine-line between movements that are beautifully unexpected, yet flow naturally, without jarring the listener out of their comfort zone. At the forefront, are a wild combination of rhythms that incorporate themselves into songs with elements of pop, folk and jazz.

A wide arsenal of sounds and instrumentation also help connect the dots to make Red cohesive. A wah-wah guitar on Moves As One threads the songs casual groove with its charismatic melody, then adds a sax at the end for a little bit of soul. There's the Joe Jackson pop-rock of Smiling Through and Do I Come In Like The Dream I'm Meant To Be?, the former featuring horns, the latter driven by a piano. A pedal-steel encourages the honky-tonk feel of A Little Bit Of Shake It, while Front Lines showcases a harmonica and psychedelic guitar.

Many will be won over by Rob's voice alone, Neil Finn-like on the CD highlight opening Move As One (especially when he harmonizes with himself), sporting a mellow-soul falsetto on Sometimes It's Nice, and generally engaging throughout.

The melodies and choruses of Red blow-in more like a gentle breeze than an invigorating wind, but with the warm weather coming, it sounds pretty refreshing.

For more information on Rob Falgiano, visit:
www.robfalgiano.com
myspace.com/robfalgiano

To purchase Red, visit:
www.robfalgiano.com