Restless Mandolin Brothers

• 1 This Weight 03:29
• 2 Restless 04:36
• 3 Last Call 04:29
• 4 Blind Willie McTell 06:48
• 5 Searching 03:39
• 6 Near You 04:57
• 7 Nothing Special 03:55
• 8 Upon My Soul 05:32
• Total Runtime 37:25

Info for Restless

The Mandolin' Brothers are an Italian band playing roots rock and Americana music.

The concerts repertoire alternates between their original sound tracks and cover songs - always revisited and reinterpreted with a very personal touch. Along with their near three decades of activity, the band accounts for hundreds of concerts in the Italian club scene, some short tours in the USA and a regular participation at various European rock and blues festivals.

What I have always appreciated about the Mandolin’ Brothers is their ability to combine the quality of their music – which, in this writer’s view, has never faltered – with a surprisingly remarkable longevity, never marred by ‘external factors’. A sort of welcoming and resilient community. A rare example of a musical career spanning five lustri. You tell me if that seems like a short time ...

Almost as if they were being sparing, but also a form of intellectual honesty towards their audience. An album takes shape when there is a valid idea behind it. And so it is with this new Restless, the seventh album by the band led by Jimmy Ragazzon, who, together with Paolo Canevari, Riccardo Maccabruni, Marco Rovino, Joe Barreca and Daniele Negro, joined by a couple of guests such as Nicolò Moschera on piano in Nothing Special and Mario Semeraro on congas and tambourine in the album’s closing track, once again hits the mark with a work steeped in that ‘classic rock’ style that follows well-established and consistent lines, perfectly tied to the band’s history.

The intrinsic quality of this album is evident when listening to the tracks that make it up – eight in total, including a reinterpretation of the famous Blind Willie McTell by Bob Dylan, which, back in the day, a gentleman such as Paolo Carù described as a definite point of reference for the band. The compositions are largely penned by the Ragazzon/Rovino duo, with the exception of Last Call (Canevari/Maccabruni), the closing track Upon My Soul (Canevari/Ragazzon), and the particularly inspired Nothing Special, composed by the whole band – the result of that special alchemy that sometimes arises in the studio when the musicians are all together. A guitar riff kicks in… and a brilliant track unfolds.

As mentioned at the start, there are no rough edges; nothing feels forced or out of place. The sound is fluid and gets straight to the point, delivering songs that are a real pleasure to listen to, even when, like the hard-hitting Searching for Gaza, they strike a chord that cannot fail to prompt necessary reflection on what has, for some time now, been one of the most shameful and painful chapters of our times. To all of the above, we should add that the album has benefited from the enthusiasm of the fans – something that can never be taken for granted – who helped to exceed the crowdfunding target, leading to the release, for the first time in the band’s history, of a vinyl edition as well.

The album cover, designed by Antonio Boschi, is beautiful; following on from the previous 6, he once again puts his undisputed talent at the band’s service. Equally fundamental are the Casemate Recording Studio in Pontecurone (Al) and the production work of Marco Alberto Matti, who produced and mixed the album, making Mandolin’ sound truly special.

As the saying goes, you don’t change a winning team. And given the results, it’s hard to argue otherwise. We now look forward to seeing the band live as they present this highly successful Restless, although we have very few doubts about how it will go down with the audience.

The Mandolin’ Brothers:
Jimmy Ragazzon, lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar Paolo Canevari, guitars, slide, National Steel Marco Rovino, mandolin, guitars, vocals Riccardo Maccabruni, accordion, keyboards, vocals Joe Barreca, bass, double bass Daniele Negro, drums and percussion

The Mandolin’ Brothers
were formed in 1979 in Voghera by Alessandro “Jimmy” Ragazzon and Paolo Canevari. Starting as an acoustic country-blues duo, the band evolved to include bass, drums, keyboards, accordion, and amplified mandolin, blending blues and rock roots with Americana and roots rock influences.

Over the course of their long career, they have released albums such as "For Real", "Still Got Dreams", "30 Lives!", "Far Out", "6", and the "Moon Road" project, expanding their sound while remaining true to their musical roots.

This album contains no booklet.