FRANCK CARDUCCI - Torn Apart (2015)

Genre - Classic Rock / Hard Rock / Pop / Prog

 

Track listing:

1. Torn Apart
2. Closer to Irreversible
3. Journey Through the Mind
4. Artificial Love
5. A Brief Tale of Time
6. Girlfriend for a Day
7. Mr. Hyde & Dr. Jekyll
8. Artificial Paradises
9. School (Supertramp cover) [Bonus Track]

Encouraged to record his own music by no-other than legendary Steve Hackett (Genesis), French multi-instrumentalist FRANCK CARDUCCI is releasing his second album "Torn Apart".
Carducci, who sings, plays bass, organ, keyboards, mellotron and guitar, has been part of various projects / bands from France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. But he also compose fantastic music.
"Torn Apart" is a marvellous 65 minute journey through the world inside Carducci's head - and as on most journey through unknown territory, there is room for joy and surprise.
The journey starts at full energy with a keyboard and guitar driven opening for the title track "Torn Apart". After the drums and the organ comes in, the classic, slightly high pitched rock voice of Carducci starts telling us about a character getting stuck in life, and apparently losing his or her lover at some point.
The song is short, lyrics wise, but since this opener is 10 minutes long, there's enough room for an instrumental part that first covers every instrument and chord that Uriah Heep and Deep Purple have ever used, until everything quiets down and a whistle like sound (is this your mellotron, Franck?) sets in a tune that resembles You Can't Always Get What You Want.
This lasts for a bit before leading back to an almost Rush-like instrumental part until the vocals come back in to continue the story, in a more dramatic tone this time. After the final verse, guitar and organ take turns playing good old classic rock solos to build a nice climax to the track.
This description of the first track on the album adequately paints what "Torn Apart" is all about.
Carducci's music embraces all the best things in Rock from the last forty years. There's Classic Rock, some Classic Hard Rock, a bit of Rock&pop, and some Prog of course.
Mentor Steve Hackett plays as guest in one track, but Carducci's style is pretty far away from Genesis or traditional Prog: "Torn Apart" is traditional Rock with a progressive, intriguing development.
The songs on this CD, even the longest (two are over the ten minute mark) are always focused in melody, in a 'song format' and are really easy listening.
Just check the video for the song of the previous album and it gives you an idea of the 'musicality' on this album.
There's more references to classic acts on songs to come, like "Journey Through the Mind" keyboards which immediately brings to mind a Styx, or the short piece (2 minutes) "Artificial Love" full of commercial Yes.
"Girlfriend for a Day" is a traditional rock ballad with piano and wonderful moog synths, while "Mr. Hyde & Dr. Jekyll" take us into a real classic rock piece, with lovely guitar and bass work. The Jekyll-Hyde theme is reflected in the song, which consists of two rocking parts interleaved by two more laid back parts before the full blown hard rocking outro (note the organ and the bass doing their job more than brilliantly!)
Franck and his band also does a very nice version of Supertramp's "School", more relaxed and progressive than the original.
Franck Carducci has delivered a great classic sounding album in "Torn Apart".
I hear a lot of influences from the past in his music, as mentioned; Styx, Rush, '80s Yes, Asia, GTR, Kansas and a lot more, but the great musical skills of Carducci and his many guest musicians make up for that and sound and production wise it is a vibrant, modern album.
"Torn Apart" is a very, very good album for starting this 2015. You won't be disappointed, believe me.
Highly Recommended.

Rating - 9/10