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Rigoni, Alberto: Rebirth

Rebirth is the second solo outing by italian bassplayer composer Alberto Rigoni. Most of us will know Alberto from his bass playing in the progressive rock outfit Twinspirits. If I am not mistaken Twinspirits has had a release not too long ago this year. And still the creativity doesn't end here, Alberto played bass on the latest album by Mistheria and is playing in a duo called Lady and the Bass.
Alberto Rigoni shows with this album that a bass can be used also as a lead instrument, it is not only for laying down rhythms to songs, no it becomes a melodic instrument. Helping Alberto with his second album are a number of internationally acclaimed musicians, like Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree) and John Macaluso(Ark,Labrie, Malmsteen). Fellow bass players Michael Manring and Yves Carbone among others contribute here as well.
With a staff like that things can't go wrong. And it doesn't. The compositions by Alberto Rigoni bring out the best in all the palyers and of course Alberto himself. 9 tracks long almost 45 minutes, Alberto and his guest musicians bring us the sheer joy of well composed, high energetic music, reigning from jazz to blues and rock. Most of the tracks on Rebirth are instrumental, just 2 tracks get served with vocal addition. Vocals on these tracks are handled by another well known singer Jonas Erixon(Alicate).
I am often told when talking to other people that a false note on a bass is not as recognizable as one played on a guitar. Using a bass like Alberto does on this album proves these people are definitely wrong. Playing a note off key would completely ruin everything, as it does in a song less bass oriented, but that does not stand out that much.
Track 5 and 7 are the tracks with the vocals added, these two songs are, let us say, more or less standard metalsongs, still very solid but I would have loved to have two more instrumental bass oriented songs on the album, this would have made the album outstanding in my book. Just listen to a song like the title track "Rebirth", which is absolute magical.
His work with TwinSpirits is great, he just added a new dimension to that with his solo works.
Bravo.

Track listing:
01. Free
02. Rebirth
03. Story of a man
04. The Net
05. Emptiness
06. A new soul
07. With all my forces
08. Ontogeny
09. White shine

Added: June 1st 2011
Reviewer: Gert Hulshof
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 3811
Language: english

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Rigoni, Alberto: Rebirth
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2011-05-31 18:03:46
My Score:

If you've come across the name Alberto Rigoni before, then there's a good chance that it is because he provides bass in the prog rock/metal act Twinspirits alongside Daniele Liverani (Khymera/Empty Tremor). However there are more strings to Rigoni's bass, with him also being involved with Lady & The BASS, as well as now releasing his second solo album Rebirth.

Now not having heard Rigoni's first solo outing I rightly or wrongly have to admit that I expected Rebirth to fit in somewhere along the lines of Twinspirit and while there are some gently progressive themes employed on this album, Rebirth is actually quite a departure from the sound I anticipated. Built round a deep reverberating bass thrum, there are even a couple of tracks where multiple bass parts (courtesy of Rigoni, Yves Carbonne and Micheal Manring) form the basis for entire song, with the results being on the whole mid-paced tracks that sway and shimmer through harmonics laced passages. It makes for an unusual listening experience that at first can seem a little meandering, however persevere and the stark beauty of the songs begins to shine through. Drums are provided across the disc by Porcupine Tree's Gavin Harrison and Ark and TNT sticksman John Macaluso, with the latter's contributions to "Ontogeny" being quite stunning. Closing track "White Shine" brings yet another colour to the album with some stunningly clear piano from Federico Solazzo cutting through the bass harmonies with such a melodic force that if there was a gentle vocal added to this song, then there's no doubt it could be a huge hit.

The music flows and unwinds as you journey through what becomes a strangely evocative hybrid of prog, jazz fusion and rock, although the overall effect is surprisingly different to most music being churned out these days. Oddly though Rigoni decides to illustrate his eclecticism further by adding two straight up melodic rock numbers. Vocals on these tracks, the only on the album, are provided by Jonas Erixon (singer in Alicate) and there's no doubt that both rock in the style of something like Whitesnake and while they are actually pretty darn good, I'm not really sure exactly why they are included on an album that otherwise relies on moods and atmospheres to make an impact.

Neither an instant or obvious album, Rebirth is an interesting and rewarding diversion from the norm, whether that be in the prog, rock, or slightly jazz inspired fields and has on the whole have the potential to appeal to people from all those genres.

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