Step Up To The Present

PRODUKTBESCHREIBUNGEN
Unlike his debut studio album, 'Stronger not Bitter', which was a solo and homemade four-track effort, R.X. Bertoldi's new CD release, 'Step Up to The Present' consists of twelve full-band, professional studio tracks that range from alt-country to roots rock to modern folk and acoustic blues. In addition to the improved audio quality, Bertoldi also seems to have hit his stride with his songwriting on this CD, and true to it's title, the album is definitely a 'step up'. Each of the 12 songs here stands up strong on it's own, but they also hold together musically and lyrically as an album. His lyrics are descriptive and conversational, touching on universal themes such as family, love, death, homelessness, addiction, regret, redemption, hope, and courage, and all of which blend smoothly with his catchy tunes. Bertoldi's vocals benefit from the professional studio also, sounding clearer and more prominent in the mix than on his first CD. Several of these new tracks have already garnered pre-release critical acclaim from the likes of the following: 2013 Mountain Stage New Music Contest American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest Song of The Year Contest Dallas Songwriters Song Contest. Unisong International Mid-Atlantic Song Contest In the album's opening song, 'Miracle to Me', the singer contemplates and contrasts the official miracles he learned of as a boy in catechism class to the smaller and far more tangible one he has actually experienced--that of meeting the right woman at just the right time in his life. 'Dark Shadow' and 'Till the Morning Light' are melodic alt-country / folk tunes, which he juxtaposes with the harsher subject matter of their lyrics about homelessness and struggles with addiction. The songs' themes blend nicely with tasty flourishes of piano and pedal steel guitar to give both of these tracks a timeless quality. Bertoldi's 'Step Out of the Way' is an upbeat rocker about a guy who draws a clear and hard line between his troubled past, including any false labels he's acquired, and his much more together present life. Groove-wise, this song is a strong nod to Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones, and it's lyric seems to re-state and play off the album title with it's focus on the present, and the importance of moving forward: 'Well I stumbled in my prime / on the wine women and song / it took me a half a lifetime / to find my right from my wrong.' His song 'My Closest Friend' tells of a failing love relationship as the singer aims to make sense of it all. In the bridge he deftly poses the question familiar to all those who see their relationship falter or fail: 'Where's the sweet love we once knew / where's the tenderness we used to share / between the things we want, and the things we must do / is there no room for love anywhere?'. His rootsy 'Repaired and Found' is a tribute to the songwriter's father and grandfather. Here Bertoldi salutes his Italian heritage lyrically and musically, referring to his grandfather's 'paisan', and enlisting an accomplished accordion / mandolin duo to give the tune a hint of Old World flavor. In 'Feeling So Fine', the singer is prompted by some 'old dusty boxes of faded photographs' to recall people, places, and events from his childhood that were both memorable and edifying. His rendition of the Faces' classic 'Ooh La La' (the one cover song on the album) is a sparse, uplifting take on the gift of hindsight. The tasteful upright bass and stick drumming on this song provide just the right barebones counterpart to Bertoldi's guitar, vocals and harmonica. The well placed vocal harmonies on this and other tracks also enrich the overall vibe of the album. Those heard on 'Broke Down Carousel', and 'Bridge to Everything Good', in particular, actually lift the songs to a new level entirely when compared to the songwriter's very listenable but much simpler debut record. His song 'Playing Games' is a bluesy take on the importance of the Golden Rule in which the singer ponders, 'It seems you need someone to strongly oppose / what you hope to gain God only knows'. All the songs here prove that this reflective singer/songwriter's work can truly shine with the addition of other musicians and instruments, and with the better sound quality of a professional studio. 'Step Up to The Present' is a strong collection of well-crafted tunes, and one that is guaranteed to please even the most demanding fan of alt-country / roots rock / acoustic blues and modern folk.

Number of Discs: 1

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