Check out this blazing new review that the guys at Minor7th.com wrote about my latest record “DREAM”.
The review is by the lovely Céline Keating, here it is:
“Andrea Mele’s new CD, its ingenious title using the letters of his name to spell “DREAM,” indeed has a dreamy moodiness that carries through even upbeat pieces. The Italian guitarist’s touch is pristine, his fingerpicking impeccable, his control and dynamics authoritative. Mele is also an imaginative composer, a master of DADGAD tuning (and its variant with all strings “flatted”: Dflat, Aflat, etc.). There are hints of Latin, Mid-Eastern, Flamenco, Celtic and other influences, but each piece is utterly distinctive, full of arresting motifs and melodic lines; they almost tell a story in the way they move through shifts of rhythm or melody, with dashes of stylistic flourishes embedded like small nuggets. One can hear echoes of Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan, and most especially, Pat Metheny. “Treno per la Luna,” played on a 12-string, has driving, percussive strumming and jaw-dropping tapping (two-handed hammer-ons and pulloffs) (a tribute as well to Joe Satriani’s “Satch Boogie”). On that track and others Mele uses wordless vocalizing to add a haunting quality. Other pieces are more lyrical, tender, or sorrowful, such as “Rose,” with an exquisitely rendered sequence of pulloffs and harmonics. “Dancing With My 6 Strings,” has a jazzy improvisational feel with Brazilian rhythms, while on “Kalimba” a baritone guitar imitates the ancient African instrument. One of the most affecting pieces is “Evangeline Lilly, la Sirène” (a tribute to the actress) where Mele’s meltingly gorgeous tone especially shines through. The album ends with the haunting “Drawing the Sky,” an exquisite piece dedicated to a missed, but always close, friend. Its subtle beauty and emotional resonance reflect the album as a whole and the only words spoken on the CD: “mi Corazon, mi guitarra” (my heart, my guitar). This emotional accessibility is perhaps the greatest among his many strengths. Without a doubt, Mele deserves to be widely known.
© Céline Keating”
Also go check it out on Minor7th.com.