Bit of a “concept album”. The idea being that every place
has it’s own “sound identity” and these 9 songs (mostly ballads) are Atzmon’s
interpretation of the sound.
With the exception of one song called “Somewhere In Italy”
all are easily identified – Tel Aviv, Moscow, Paris etc.
The only UK location is “Scarborough” which is pretty much a
riff on Scarborough Fair”. Though why he chose Scarborough is anyones guess.
I’m impressed that most are ballads as there is a nice slow,
melancholic feel to them – I’ve always seen cities as places to get lost in a
crowd. “Isolation on a grand scale” if you will. A feeling of alienation.
I really like this album – except – “Berlin”. It’s only two
minutes long, but to me it’s a cheap Kurt Weill-esque, Bierkeller sing-along.
All other 8 songs are fairly contemplative and original (albeit, as I said
Scarborough is built on a theme). This one is just clichéd and grates.
But…two minutes out of an hour of great music? Just delete
it from your mp3 player I guess. You can either walk about and listen to the authentic city "sound identity" or you could listen to this. I know what I'll go for.
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