Sophomore stride
The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 09/06/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As a long time listener of the Duo, I was enthusiastic about Marco Benvento's first solo album, "Invisible Baby." After a few listens, that excitement quickly eroded into disappointment. I had to wonder if Benevento was one of those performers who primarily shines within a very specific musical environment. With the exception of the Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio related side projects, I had about given up on life outside of the Benevento/Russo Duo. In the end, the glowing reviews by RP and Music Lover persuaded me to give Benevento's sophomore studio release a shot. I'm now glad that I took the plunge because "Me Not Me" has become a satisfying musical experience. Sonically, this sounds similar to the musical landscape that the Duo traversed - but with a twist. For starters, the band shines. As far as Marco Benevento goes, he plays delicious keyboard work that sparkles with psychedelia. While it was interesting to hear an acoustic piano on the first solo album, the impact amounted to little more than a curiosity. Here, the piano work is as prevalent and powerful as anything Benevento plays on the mellotron and clavinet. While it's regrettable that bassist Reed Mathis melts into the background, the keyboards and drums hold everything together -not unlike the Duo. The rhythm features a dynamic balance of acoustic sounds and tripped out beats that were inspired by electronic genres. While this album has the same personnel as on the initial release, the guys are finally able to successfully combine real jazz with psychedelic rock. Indeed, this music is as listenable as it is interesting. Another contrast with the freshman album is that this release is mostly comprised of covers. The eclectic selection of other people's music helps to deflate any sense of pretentiousness. 'Seems So Long Ago Nancy' is a post-modern version of a Leonard Cohen composition. Pulled off "Mutations," 'Sing It Again' is one of Beck's great acoustic ballads. The solo acoustic interpretation has a classical sensibility. While 'Twin Killers' is a piece by Deerhoof, it calls to mind Phish's 'Bathtub Gin.' When playing as Bustle in Your Hedgerow, the Duo gave the music of Led Zeppelin a serious work out. On the other hand, this band plays a very different yet interesting version of 'Friends.' Off to a slow start, this band hit a sophomore stride. I now look forward to seeing this band perform over the summer. Thank goodness for second chances because this band really hit it off with "Me Not Me.""
Depth of Sound, Abundance of Melody
RP | New York, NY | 04/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Marco Benevento is a young post jazz pianist on his way to creating a magnificent body of work. And even so, I feel like calling him a pianist is under-stating it. He isn't just a musician, but an artist seeking new forms of expression through music. He manipulates sound by running an acoustic piano through guitar pick ups, pedals and amplifiers while simultaneously calling upon an abundance of other tonal colors and texture from instruments like the mellotron, optigan and tack piano. This could all be gimmicky in the wrong hands, but Benevento utilizes a broad sonic palette only to inform and bring to life the character of the song at hand. More importantly, always at the heart of Benevento's performance is the melody. On his latest album 'Me Not Me,' the melodies are drawn from an A-list of diverse sources: My Morning Jacket (Golden), George Harrison (Run Of The Mill), The Knife (Heartbeats) and Beck (Sing It Again). The mood unfolds from pastoral to futuristic to rambunctious to minimalist in a natural progression. Playing in a trio configuration, his rhythm section supplies a strong foundation and, when the time is right, they'll launch into swerving rock rhythms that allow for intriguing improvisational flights from the pianist. 'Me Not Me' is highly recommended. Listen to it with headphones and get lost in its depth or turn it up in your car and fly down the highway."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1