18-10-2014, 12:24
Album Review: Piers Faccini ~ My Wilderness
(The sixth of eight studio albums, including two collaborations)
An English born singer, songwriter and painter, of Italian extract and living in France from the age of five, Piers Faccini embraces and experiments with a mix of sounds which, in a way, reflect his own heritage â a pretty mixed bag. This is alternative, eclectic folk music with a very definite edge â exciting!
Faccini gives us a crazy fusion of unusual instruments and influences (some hailing from West Africa and Iâm positive I can hear flamenco and fado in the mix!), and interesting timing, and he has, to his credit, a list of collaborations with some extremely well-regarded âworldâ musicians. One of those is Vincent Segal whose cello appears here and who himself has released, together with Balleké Sossoko, a beautiful and unorthodox album named Chamber Music. Sossoko is a famed kora player and Faccini uses the kora here as well â itâs an instrument that defies categorisation being a 21 string uummm... double-bridge-harp-lute!
The songs on this album are thoughtful; sometimes plaintive, sometimes quirky - ranging from up-tempo to calm ballad, sometimes all within one song. It comes together with a maverickâs touch which rescues the entire affair from what could otherwise have been dangerously close to merely mournful and pedestrian âfolkâ, although itâs really impossible to fit into any specific pigeonhole.
Some liken Facciniâs work to that of Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Jack Johnson (sorry for the same breath Mr Cohen) and others of a similar ilk (Iâm hearing some similarities to Jim White, and even Tom Waits), and there are elements of those aforementioned, no doubt, but I believe that to be a fairly vague frame of reference â supposing there MUST be one.
Having only recently discovered him, Iâm sold (or rather, he is!
mile
.
[video=youtube;Efj9QN0tpB8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efj9QN0tpB8[/video]
[/URL]No scores for comparison â not rated by Allmusic yet.
(The sixth of eight studio albums, including two collaborations)
An English born singer, songwriter and painter, of Italian extract and living in France from the age of five, Piers Faccini embraces and experiments with a mix of sounds which, in a way, reflect his own heritage â a pretty mixed bag. This is alternative, eclectic folk music with a very definite edge â exciting!
Faccini gives us a crazy fusion of unusual instruments and influences (some hailing from West Africa and Iâm positive I can hear flamenco and fado in the mix!), and interesting timing, and he has, to his credit, a list of collaborations with some extremely well-regarded âworldâ musicians. One of those is Vincent Segal whose cello appears here and who himself has released, together with Balleké Sossoko, a beautiful and unorthodox album named Chamber Music. Sossoko is a famed kora player and Faccini uses the kora here as well â itâs an instrument that defies categorisation being a 21 string uummm... double-bridge-harp-lute!
The songs on this album are thoughtful; sometimes plaintive, sometimes quirky - ranging from up-tempo to calm ballad, sometimes all within one song. It comes together with a maverickâs touch which rescues the entire affair from what could otherwise have been dangerously close to merely mournful and pedestrian âfolkâ, although itâs really impossible to fit into any specific pigeonhole.
Some liken Facciniâs work to that of Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Jack Johnson (sorry for the same breath Mr Cohen) and others of a similar ilk (Iâm hearing some similarities to Jim White, and even Tom Waits), and there are elements of those aforementioned, no doubt, but I believe that to be a fairly vague frame of reference â supposing there MUST be one.
Having only recently discovered him, Iâm sold (or rather, he is!
mile.- No Reply **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyfYaG5Do8
- The Beggar and the Thief **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZDMV6ugOqU
- A New Morning **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptWqPLdcJ2U
- Tribe ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-6G2ffWGqE
- That Cry **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ja2qC6DSU
- The Branches Grow *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJeRyE1qk2Q
- My Wilderness ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv7Kb61Bxos
- Dreamer ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efj9QN0tpB8
- Say but Donât Say *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUoODNsdjCg
- Strange is the Man ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SFsmJZq9V8
- And Still the Calling ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OFTfrWAnNs
- Drowning in my Sleep *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9cWIpKaDyw
- Three Times Betrayed *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNGoyS-Gbuk
[video=youtube;Efj9QN0tpB8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efj9QN0tpB8[/video]
[/URL]No scores for comparison â not rated by Allmusic yet.
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