My first contact with the works of Alessandro Ciminata – the London-based songwriter originally from Biella – was his wonderful “Heal Your Heart”. His voice is welcoming and stripped of all pretension, like a Proustian madeleine evoking Mike Francis circa 1984 and his ethereally elegant and yet slightly melancholic synth-pop.
The fact that these sensations have remained unchanged over time is the result of the work of artists like Alessandro, who are capable of capturing a moment which flees faster than others, turning it into a precious snapshot in soft autumnal colours, so discreet and at the same time exhaustive in its elegant and retro ambience.
“It’s You or It’s Nothing” opens with a reverb guitar to lead us onto more synthetic paths, with a slowed-down drum machine groove that lets us fully enjoy the introspection, in the expansion of the moment.
Alessandro had already amazed us this year with the essential poetics of “Love Locked Out”, its profound stillness, in a cloud of fluffy chords and such an intimate voice that it felt almost like a friend.
“Ain’t Nothing But Rain” bubbles to the surface, both hypnotic and introverted, before flowing into a Euro-dance refrain, ready to resonate within the restless spirits, hunting for music on the borderline between 80s style and contemporary mood.
“Lost In Your Arms” is the final gem. Alessandro reconfirms his formula, re-dressing his characteristic dreamy Romanticism with a powerful radio sound.
Nando Dorelassi
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