Album review: BALDASSARRE – Grand Boulevard

Carl Baldassarre Music [Release date 28.04.23]

The first thing this over-stressed reviewer thought when opening up the promo package was “what the hell will I play it on?” But it turns out that the album is on a USB stick neatly housed in a musicassette format complete with authentic plastic case. A great way of grabbing attention! And highly evocative!

But does the music meet our heightened expectation? Carl Baldassarre is a guitarist/producer/teacher (ex-Abraxas, Syzygy )and it seems no expense has been spared for this album. Several tracks have orchestra, partly recorded at Abbey Road and so on. You might expect this approach from a former banker who ran one of the Midwest’s biggest private equity firms.

Now this self-styled music teacher (and YouTube “guru”), who currently plays in a Led Zeppelin tribute show as Jimmy Page, unleashes his third solo album.

Opening track ‘You’re Gonna Be Right’ is fairly ordinary to be truthful but ‘Dead Ballet’ is more interesting: atmospheric with a Phil Collins-esque ‘In The Air Tonight’ vibe for starters.

The album is intelligently constructed and thankfully Baldassarre has enlisted a variety of musicians when it could have been a real vanity project with his head in a bunker.

Amongst them Charles Iverson who does the lion’s share of the vocals and Marcus Scott (Tower of Power). The ubiquitous Nick D’Virgilio supplies drums (the Troy Donockley of percussion) with bass from Dave Martin (Billy Ray Cyrus).

Among the highlights, ‘Ready. Fire. Aim.’ is a slice of Robben Ford jazz pop whilst there are the eastern flavours of ‘Sands Of Tarifa’ and the more subdued ‘Lily’. ‘Forever With You’ is straight out of the Hall & Oates stable. ‘The Reckoning’ has a slightly Bond film-esque thing going on.

The bonus track ‘Love Never Dies’ isn’t documented in despatches but is an attractive male/female duet.

As often happens with solo albums it is the sheer variety of players and styles that can confuse and prevent real consistency. We’re not sure if our man Baldassarre is a rocker or a blue-eyed soulster or maybe he just wishes to show he’s comfortable in an eclectic skin.

‘A Little Bit Of Heaven’ for example is cod-reggae, whilst ‘So Seville Good’ is Latin style and fairly throwaway along with ‘Margarita’ which has a mariachi flourish. But along with that opener tracks like ‘Another Day’ and ‘Wait’ are run of the mill soft-rockers.

Certain listeners will be drawn more to the soulful stuff whilst the less distinctive rockier stuff, including the AC/DC inspired ‘You’re Wrong (Dead Wrong)’, may pass them by.

No doubt some will call this prog. It isn’t. Overall it’s all fairly restrained and economical with minimal soloing, well produced and executed if a tad derivative. And no amount of cool packaging will help that. But it did make me think:

Where’s my Aiwa cassette deck? ***1/2

Review by David Randall

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