Shameless Self Promotion – Max Tosi
All those who love the beatnik side of Stephen Bishop, the albums of James Taylor – above all those prior to Flag – the masterly melodies of the Beatles, and the soft acoustic atmospheres of Ink’s Liv Taylor, simply have to listen to Let Me Ride. They will not be disappointed.
Max Tosi, originally from Cremona, a lengthy transit in Milan, but Sardinian by adoption (resident in Sassari for the last 11 years), gives the impression of having just stepped out of the Troubadour on a balmy evening in the mid-seventies with his live-act cassettes tucked under his arm. In effect the album Let Me Ride, although a studio album, has all the warmth and spontaneity of a confidential acoustic set recorded live in a small club. Priceless emotions for those who were brought up on bread and Mud Slide Slim or for those who for years have dreamed of travelling under a Californian sun towards San Buenaventura on the Fwy 101.
Genuine passion, love for the ballad, artisan attention to detail and simple instrumentation with light touches of strings and brass. Ten original compositions, ten instant soft-focus snapshots which, for better or for worse, appear to have been taken on an old-fashioned Polaroid. No bluffing, only the fragile, inexpressible charm of daily sensations, of little stories told with a delicate and at times almost naive touch. Review by Franco Fusilli