Search - Gino Vannelli :: The Gist of The Gemini

Musical Greatness At A Crossroads

Andre S. Grindle | Brewer Maine | 03/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As if his previous two releases were't already shocking and amazing this recording is one of Gino Vanelli's most overwelming and ambitous recordings. It has nothing to do with the overall sound being any different from Powerful People and Storm at Sunup-it isn't.A lot of it may have to do with the final seven cuts on this recording,what I can only describe as an almost genre defying orchestral electronic funk opus that jumps up and down in musical intensity as the lyrical content about the insecurities of a returing veteran and his conflicting views on the war he's faught.This is the kind of thing I understand Stevie Wonder was looking to record for his Songs in the Key of Life but was somewhat held back by Motown's commercial reputation.Apparently Gino had no such constrictions at all and just let it all loose. Aside from the this album in general tends to be funkier and more R&B oriented and less reliant on ballads as before although the reflective "Ugly Man" and "Omens Of Love" are two of the most softly haunting contributions he's made to that style. Otherwise there is the joyous "Love Of My Life","Fly Into The Night" and (my favorite) "A New Fix For 76" in which Gino "raps" some funny rhymes about the changing face of fasion and personal taste during this centenial year. As with most of Gino's mid 70's releases this album never developed much more then a cult following;his music could be sometimes overpowering (some not in the know might say pretentious),his lyrics very cosmic and spacious and while contemporary in instrumentation his musical style and orchestration was out of the mainstream even for this most self indulgant musical eras. And even if this album has a lot of drama self indulgant is something this album is not. It's the forth album of career thus far and should probably be one of the first few you hear (the first being Powerful People of course)and no matter when or where you encounter this in the development of your musical collection this is more then a worthy addition.This man and his band are just incredible!"