Listening to Joe Barbieri's new album is like listening to the EU all rolled up into one giant musical tribute. Maison Maravilha sees the Italian singer and musical aesthete enlarge the borders of our, and his musical cosmos, by its stylistic diversity. Issued on a German label, named in French and featuring an Italian this is the very definition of a European Union if there ever was one. The sound spectrum of cantaurtor, bossanova, and pop is enriched by elements of chanson, fado, and tango. This is all done subtlety and inconspicuously as the record gorgeously surrounds the listener with a seductive selection of mellow sounds that aren't far from something you'd find on an easy listening channel.
The ultimate chill out album, Maison Maravilha, is so serene and relaxed that it's the perfect soundtrack to a summer rainy day or a Sunday morning. This is an absolutely beautiful record that's about as far from traditional Italian music as you can imagine. Essentially a series of relaxed jazzy ballads, Maison Maravilhais at home with nothing more than a piano and a single horn for accompaniment. As depressing and sad as that might seem, especially considering it's the perfect rainy day record, Joe Barbieri has created something that's easy to fall in love with and to fall in love to. This is the sound of romance be it in Venice or New York City and is the sort of record that will find it's way into the hearts of all who listen.
Jazzy, light, and unobtrusive Barbieri's Maison Maravilha is a sumptuously seductive record. It's mellow moods and lush sounds are truly something to behold and it's cross cultural diversity shows an artist coming into his own. Maison Maravilha is truly awesome stuff that harks back to a time when music like this was all the rage; highly recommended.
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