Bondarenko, Roman: Shades of Style

It’s not often that a name you have not heard comes along and knocks your socks off. Count this one as easily in my top 10 for the year, and we have a few months to go! Wow, Bondarenko has it all, melody, phrasing, speed, and songwriting. My buddy George Lamie has likened his style to Greg Howe (not surprisingly another favorite of mine), and although this is a guitar-heavy album, this needs to be heard by all.

The opening track “H.E.Z.� features fiery riffs, fluid legato and let’s not forget about those electric keys that dance throughout the album, The opening is so funky, and I would say the bassist (Alexey Lyubchik) just put on some new strings, there is so much snap in this one. I absolutely love Roman’s melodic sensibilities, I am eating up the guitar playing, but these songs also stick in my head. I have been playing this non-stop for weeks, and that is the best endorsement I can give an album. One song in and my mind was blown. I mentioned he’s definitely got some funk, well, you’ll find it in many of the tracks. I’m not usually one for covers, but the version of “Isn’t She Lovely� really hits the mark, and features some of his best playing.

The review would not be complete without mentioning the tour de force that is “Off Road Racing� which features keyboardist Valeriy Stepanov. Without question, this is my favorite track of the year to date, absolutely stellar. These two need to work together again, the results are spectacular. “Next Step� features Roman with a cleaner tone, and another earworm lead melody. “Waltz� changes the pace with accordion to accompany the guitar, and I enjoy it. The only misstep is the closer “Ocean Adventure� which features vocals. It’s not that the singing is bad, it is just unnecessary at this point of the album. His acoustic guitar work is great on this track, and rather than the vocals, I would have loved to hear him do more on the acoustic. As mentioned, this will be a favorite of mine for 2024, and I am sure I will continue to spin this for a long time to come.

Track List:
1. H.E.Z.
2. My Friends
3. Go Funk Yourself
4. Isn’t She Lovely
5. Off Road Racing (feat. Valeriy Stepanov)
6. Next Step
7. Waltz
8. Ocean Adventure

Added: August 15th 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artist on Instagram
Hits: 253
Language: english

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