Gianni Massarutto & The Bluesiana – Black cat

From the Album: Anywhere, Year of Release: 2023#bluesrock #blues Lyrics: Black cat Call Me, Baby, the debut album from Gianni Massarutto & the Bluesiana, emerged as not only one of the best Italian blues albums of all time, but one of the best blues albums in 2023 in general. From the onset, Massarutto’s harmonica dominates the sound, which is saturated in the blues but drifts into jazz, funk, and calypso. The titular track opens up the album with a ripping harmonica swinging back and forth like a tipsy man drinking accompanied by saucy keyboard (Paolo Corsini). Massarutto’s gravelly, dark voice calls out “you know I love you, don’t treat me like that” in between howling harmonica that screeches up and down. A relatively tight album, 6 of the 7 tracks are originals written by Massarutto. Among these, “Black Cat” stands out as one of the strongest. An uptempo percussion march backs up a groovy, rhythmic vocal delivery, almost a rap. Gnarly keys revel in sadness and solitude as the band starts to get out there and jam like a Grateful Dead or Phish song. Massarutto sings with a swagger, “now it’s raining, I don’t have a hat”, as the bass guitar makes tight progressions. The band showed their capacity for the slow and mournful as well. “Sleep walk”, the only song not written by Massarutto, is a slow spinning romantic song that surely many will cry to. The harmonica sings a bittersweet tune that seems to freeze time in place, with a tender touch; coming in and out like someone waiting on a love that may never come. Corsini delivers a torrent of spicy piano on several tracks on the album with both smooth polish and emotional delivery. Corsini truly shows his chops on the Calypso flavored “The Right Man”. Recorded in March 2022 by Claudio Zambendetti at Input Level Recording Studio Italy, and mixed and mastered by Albert Igne, Call me, baby boasts excellent production, with a clean and crisp sound. Lyrically, Massarutto explores loneliness, heartbreak, love, and sex. In “Jelly Beans” shuffling harmonica acts as the star, with a teady pace as the Italian harp player croons “Love you baby, you’re sweet like jelly beans.” Admittedly, the lyrics lean towards the simplistic, but while they may lack sophistication or complexity, they also contain a quiet, stark beauty. Harmonica solos– absolutely shredding, gnarly performances– dominate the album. If you come to this album, above anything, it’s for the raw, electric harmonica that gives a gritty blues flavor to the music. This is not to underscore the cohesion, eclecticism, or pure feeling of the effort. “Come Home” displays many of the best aspects of the album. Sadness seeps through – it’s as if you can feel the piano keys drenched in a waiting man’s blues. Guitar lingers in painful spaces, as Maurizio Moschini slides up and down the neck with dexterity, smoothly. Massarutto sings “ Baby I’m blue. Please come back home,” and follows up the plea with a long and drawn out, whining harmonica that sounds like the tears of a man with the blues. Corsini performs well in this jazz inspired tune, sounding a bit like Oscar Peterson as Massarutto persistently blows the harmonica. The final track, “Boogie Woogie Woman” displays boogie woogie piano style in the vain of Chubby Checker with splashes of high energy harmonica. If this effort can be criticized, it’s for an excess of piano, especially in the last track, and for at times stretching songs out past their prime. That said Massarutto, a key harmonica player in Italy for over 20 years, clearly arrives here as a master of his craft. Call me, baby is a dazzling effort of diverse, yet cohesive songs, filled with emotion and carried by swinging harmonica and a talented band. You can download the music : VIDEO COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Video is made for entertainment purposes only and you can download this track on any authorized website such as, iTunes and ... No copyright infringement is intended in the making of this video. All rights to published audio, video, graphic and text materials belong to their respective owners. If you are the author or copyright owner of any of the material I use, and you don’t like it to be used by me, please contact: I recommend you my channel Blues & Rock Ilija Capko@bluesrockmusicilijacapko1358