Bill Scorzari – Sidereal Days (Day 1)
Perhaps this is not for everyone. But…if you enjoy the sincerity, authenticity & growl of a good troubadour, Bill Scorzari is the chocolate piece among the peanuts. “All This Time” projects from a lived-in body, an experienced balladeer & unpolished vocal is indeed matte-shined by soul. Not soul as in R&B, but soul as in tenderness, with expressive lyrics, distilled from decades of broken-hearted melodies, loneliness in a last cigarette, gulp of late-night whisky & memories that don’t leave sadness but thrive in a gentle recollective smile.
The tunes are simple; not performed with flash & lightning. Instead, Bill offers melodies with poetic narratives. Some might not be easy to digest, but others will taste familiar because Bill says what many feel. His songs, like his CD art, sepia-toned, earth colors, pastel pristine & all deliciously delivered in a black-coffee voice.
10 tremulous quality tunes are docile & intense on Sidereal Days (Day 1) – (Dropped Oct 17/Independent/53:15) produced & recorded in Huntington, NY by Bill (vocals/acoustic, baritone & electric guitars) & Neilson Hubbard (drums/percussion). With some tracked in Nashville, TN by Dylan Alldredge. The songs are basically personal & wide-ranging. The Bob Dylan-Leonard Cohen-Rod Stewart gruffness is well-oiled, & the material is well sculptured if not contemplative. Each song is short story quality. In many respects, more moving, & powerful than the most exceptional vocalist who often lacks soul in their interpretations. Bill obviously understands what he’s singing about & is not going through the motions of just providing a good rendition. Quite obvious on “And So (Deep Into the Dark),” a superb piece.
If a listener can get by some of the wordier lyrics & absorb the music & performance that is woven around the words, the appreciation will become evident.
Musicianship is often nourished by what’s been creatively shaped in the composition. Guitars have clarity, piano notes are subtle, drums migrate through & drift, with all the significance required without intruding. The only suggestion I have is that every few songs should have an instrumental interlude, so Bill’s gruff voice doesn’t prematurely chafe a listener’s attention. Tom Waits does a similar thing on his albums – his “Cinny’s Waltz” being an example.
The most accessible mainstream submissions are “Did We Tie,” “Endgame,” & the lovely “From the Heart,” 3 gentle, well-written & memorable numbers.
Highlights – “All This Time,” “And So (Deep Into the Dark),” “Did We Tie,” “Endgame,” & “From Your Heart.”
Musicians – Brad Talley (dobro), Chelsea McGough (cello), Cindy Richardson Walker & Marie Lewey (bgv), Danny Mitchell (piano/Hammond B3 organ), Eamon McLoughlin (violin/fiddle), Joshua Britt (mandolin), Juan Solorzano (electric, rhythm, 2nd acoustic & pedal steel guitars/Ganjo), Megan McCormick (harmony), & Michael Rinne (upright acoustic, electric & hollow body electric bass).
A handsome sepia colored 16pp stitched lyric-insert is included. B&W image courtesy of Bill’s website. CD @ Apple & https://billscorzari.com/home
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Bill Scorzari “The Crosswinds of Kansas”
