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| Just as guitarist Carlos Santana gave prominence to Latino-based classic rock, Marino de Silva (recording under the name of �Marino�) offers his musical brilliance to the world of soul-filled blues. He has, in fact, played with Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Keith Richards and Z.Z. Top, among others, and is the President and Executive Producer of Blues Idol and the Angels on Earth Foundation. The sensually mellow CD begins with his soothing original version of �Angel of Mercy�, which is followed by an extended nod to his faith in Christianity. Whether you are a believer or not, you�ll be bowled over by the guitar break on this one. Carlos couldn�t have played it better himself. �Lovers Forever � Jan�s Theme� is a short but memorably sweet instrumental (with guest keyboarding by Carl D�Arcy), dedicated to his lover and, in the liner notes, Martino offers the following romantically poetic ode to her: �Janet, I�ve been in love a thousand times and each time it�s been with you. �Jan�s Theme� is my gift to you for eternity.� You�ve got to love the return of that kind of romanticism in lyrics and music in this increasingly cold �world of blues� where everyone is so keen to denigrate one another. �Angel of Mercy� is then reprised with jazz-flavoured guitar instrumentation and a sub-title of �Lovers Become One�. There�s a tiny bit of vocalizing by Gary Burroughs (�In this world of blues, there�s only you�) around the mid-point, so perhaps this was actually the original version of the song, before the other lyrics were added. The instrumental jazz tone of �Blissed Out� could have been better placed either at the end or the beginning of the project, for continuity purposes, as it�s a fairly drastic change in tempo and rhythm, but it�s very engaging in the ebb and flow of its manic joyfulness. This would be the showcase for the superb backing players � Gary Burroughs on drums, Peter Robinson on bass and Al Martin on keyboards. �Alone in the Dark� is a quirky little instrumental lasting about two minutes, but it would be instantly recognizable after a single play. It�s almost got a bit of a Medieval feel in its melody. �Sanctified � Sweet Seduction�, while obviously meant as an instrumental soundscape for lovemaking, also brought out a sense of desperation and loneliness that Pink Floyd also created in their recording of �Hey, You� from The Wall. It�s quite moving in its intensity. Oliva Darling provides the whispered vocals that were much more subtle than Britt Ekland�s on Rod Stewart�s �Tonight the Night�. The closing �Blues for Lovers� is another anthemic instrumental with electric guitar melody and wash chords provided on synthesizer. It�s kind of melancholy and peaceful at the same time, again, much like the music of Santana. Even if you don�t consider yourself a romantic person, the music is hauntingly beautiful. For more information on Marino, check out www.bluesidol.com. |
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| BLUES FOR LOVERS - MARINO (2005) |