Album review: SARO COSENTINO – The Road To Now

Cat Sounds Music [Release date 18.11.22]

If only we knew just how much musical talent flies below the mainstream radar.

You look at the line up on this, Saro Cosentino’s third “solo” album, and you find, amongst others, Gavin Harrison, currently occupying the drum stool in The Porcupine Tree; Peter Hammill, solo artist and founding member of Van der Graff Generator; Trey Gunn, guitar man in current iteration of King Crimson; David Rhodes of the Peter Gabriel Band, and so on.

You almost feel like you only need to put the album’s studio line up down on paper and the album speaks for itself, no review required… I’m not worthy etc etc

But… context first. The Road To Now is the third album from multi talented Italian born composer and producer, Saro Cosentino. All the songs here are co-writes with the guest artists.

Striking opener, ‘You Are The Story’ is sung by Tim Bowness, known for his work with Steven (Porcupine Tree) Wilson. It is a wonderfully moody start to the album . . . a tear stained, late nite ballad, caressed by saxophone solos and glassy guitars, reminiscent of the shadowy, post disco songs that kicked started George Michael’s solo career.

Cosentino and Hammill’s wonderfully melodic songcraft carves out a bittersweet, balladic ‘The Joke’. But it’s not really a ballad, it’s more of a haunted, spoken word confession, thrumming with emotions, gliding along on minimal instrumentation.

Hammill contributes three more cowrites with Cosentino. The romantic, wintry ballad, ‘November’ is perhaps the standout, a perfect vehicle for his quivering vocals.

Everybody leaves their mark on The Road To Now. And surprise package, only because many of us are ignorant of what goes on behind PR convention, is English born, raised in Australia singer, Karen Eden. From Disney Musicals’ soundtracks to back up vocals for William Orbit and Michael McDonald, to the theme tune of Oz soap, “Home And Away”, this amazing artist has done it all.

She contributes two songs here. The glorious, understated pop of ‘Scars On Skin’ is much more of a fit that we might initially imagine. And ‘Pray’, a sensual, intimate ballad, may not have an immediate impact, but its considerable emotional complexity and musical sophistication stays with us long after the last note has sounded. And, in all honesty, that applies to many of the songs here. ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

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