Amaranto
Alfa, 2024
8/10
A guitarist, composer and arranger, Francesco Cataldo adds pianist to his resume here, where 12 tracks make for much beauty and skill.
“Prologo” begins the listen with warm key progressions that carry a mesmerizing appeal, and the title track follows with a rich delivery of poetic, sophisticated ideas.
Further along, “Better Days” emits a chilling intimacy via the eloquent piano, while “Pictures” speaks volumes without any words, where the gentle melodies and thoughtful playing radiates long after the song ends.
Arriving near the end, the moody and introspective “Our Journey” tugs on the heartstrings, and “Epilogo” exits with a quick, hypnotic moment of meticulousness.
Cataldo traded 6 strings for 88 keys on this detailed body of work, and it makes for a sometimes haunting, other times groove filled and always memorable affair.
Travels well with: Jim Clayton- Lookout; Marcus Persiani- In Motion