Manny Angeletti and Giacomo Bondi take you on a joyous journey through iconic Beatles songs on the new album Manny Angeletti plays The Beatles.
Opening with ‘For no one’, the standard of musicianship is set very high for the rest of the album, and it certainly does not disappoint.
Songs such as ‘With a little help from my friends’ and ‘I want to hold your hand’ are captivating. Performed acoustically on either guitar or piano, the melodies blend with Manny Angeletti’s vocals to produce reinterpretations of the songs that make you feel as if you’re hearing them again for the first time.
The piano melodies replace the memorable bass lines on ‘Come Together’ and also the guitar on ‘And I love her’, producing a brilliant interpretation of one of my favourite Beatles songs. The guitar is then reintroduced later in the song, a homage to the original from the album A Hard Days Night.
Throughout the album, Manny Angeletti’s vocals are beautiful and powerful, conveying the themes of each song to the listener. Each note of the vocal melodies resonates with emotion, particularly during ‘Let it Be’ , ‘Yesterday’ and the iconic John Lennon track ‘Imagine’.
Having previously watched Manny Angeletti as Paul McCartney in the musical production Let it Be, he is still one of the best singers I have heard perform music by The Beatles – and this album is no exception.
Tying the album together is phenomenal production by Giacomo Bondi. Every element of the mix in the songs is layered perfectly, producing an album that you want to listen to again and again. A particular highlight are the wonderful echoes after the word ‘forever’ on ‘Strawberry fields forever’, exemplifying the excellent production on this album.
The production makes you feel that if you closed your eyes, you’re in the room when these songs are being performed.
From ‘In my Life’ to ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, the album encompasses an incredible range of songs by The Beatles and members of the band.
The album is also presented with beautiful artwork by the brilliant artist Daniele Blundo, which pays homage to one of the greatest bands of all time.
Manny Angeletti plays the Beatles is my favourite album of the year and one I would highly recommend to any fans of The Beatles.
