rich bennett

Not strictly a Christmas release, in fact it has no connection to Christmas at all, included in this particular festive soiree mainly because we mentioned his hidden shoal activities earlier on in this despatch. Seems no sooner did we file our review of Rich Bennett’s re-appraisal of ’Christmas is here’ then arriving from Italy via the mail dropped his forthcoming self released set ’DiBenedetto’. per the press release it seems Mr Bennett has been somewhat mournful and feeling as though he’s betrayed and neglected his guitar in recent times in favour of the synthesiser. To redress the balance and in someway seeking to reconnect to his roots he returned to Sicily discovered he had a long and rich Italian lineage and that his name was in fact DiBenedetto hence the title of this set. it was also here that he was reacquainted with his love of the guitar with said affection manifesting beautifully on this 5 track self released opus. So what do you get in exchange for your hard earned cash, in short a well crafted, varied and lushly toned selection of purring portraits opening to the exquisite rephrasing of Morricone’s ’Il Grande Silenzio’ (the big silence). This comes culled from the soundtrack to the oft overlooked spaghetti western film of the same name, here faithfully realised and impacted superbly with the legendary trademark Ennio awareness for the majestic, the climatic and the operatic and dutifully spun into a stirring hypnotic widescreen end game that’s both beguiling and brimming in foretelling whilst simultaneously applied with the kind of deft craft that in recent memory shares an affinity with the likes of Jon Atwood and James McKeown. Admirers of John Barry’s TV / film scores especially ‘the persuaders’ will no doubt swoon in admiration. An altogether different proposition is the sleek and slinky ’lee’s summit’ its smouldering frisky afterglow imagining sultry nights in far flung lands of exotica chilling out under retiring blood red skies. From therein time for a spot of mellowed noir scratched musing courtesy of the dreamily adorned ’narcissus’ here seductively dappled in crystalline rustics sweetly scented in subtle delta motifs that nod snoozily to a Fahey workbook whilst underpinned to the soft opining sigh of Jesse Krakow’s almost smoked out Mick Karn styled bass bliss outs. That said all fall in awe of the statuesque and stilled elegance of ’Cianciana’, liquid reverbs, the delicate detailing of romantic murmurs and the free spirited sereneness endow it with a floaty spectral seduction that much recalls a super chilled Manual. The short but touching ’Oss’ brings matters to a close, a fragile piano led love note all at once brief, bruised and beautiful. magnifico. http://www.richbennettmusic.bandcamp,com