So, here we are, everyone’s favourite Italian Matteo Mancuso is back with his latest offering, Route 96, courtesy of Mascot Label Group/Music Theories Recordings.
Matteo has garnered global attention since going viral, capturing the imagination of some of the biggest names in the business, such as Steve Vai and YouTuber/Producer Rick Beato, who helped thrust him into the limelight. Now, that was always going to be inevitable with the talent pouring through this young man’s veins, but it was accelerated, and here we are, now fully hooked and delighted at the arrival of a new recording.
Route 96, by no surprise, now features one Steve Vai, on the album’s opening track, no less. What a way to announce the album. I was fortunate to chat with Matteo a few years back, and he’s such a humble guy, almost unaware of the impact he is having on the world of guitar in real time. But he is, his technical ability that mesmerises far and wide has captured the imagination of millions of bedroom warriors and is pushing them daily to chase down those dizzy heights of brilliance he makes look so effortless.
‘Solar Wind’ with Steve Vai lays down a foundation for the album that has a root in rock that alot of people will have been dying to hear from Matteo, he’s a guy who has many influences, Classical, Jazz, Prog, Blues and beyond and they all come out through his playing, from one song to the next you’ll be floored by the subtle nuances he brings to each and every track. Tossing in mecurial runs, or subtle phrasings that only a man operating on such a level can do without breaking a sweat. ‘Fire And Harmony’ brings us back to Matteo’s acoustic roots, as he blends those with his love for a hot, distorted tone on his electric to push the tune up over the edge before he brings it all back home to its conclusion.
Isla Feliz (ft. Antoine Boyer) is another acoustic beauty, layered with sublime electric melodies that run through it, with glorious note choices that warm the heart as the acoustic and electric blend seamlessly. ‘L.A. Blues One’ is a beautifully playful tune that allows Matteo to flex his musical muscles and embrace the sound of those greats who walked before him, helping to shape the musical landscape of the US and LA. Studio landscape. You can hear nods to the likes of Michael Landau and the late great Jeff Beck. ‘The Great Wall’ and ‘Warm Sunset’ are signature Matteo, glorious melodic lines and phrases that stop you in your tracks, but not so much as to detract from the overriding melody of the track itself; in no way would a non-instrumentalist be overwhelmed by what has been put in front of them. Matteo walks that fine line between appealing to the six-string wizard club and the broader fanbase who dig the genre that Matteo caresses.
‘In The Morning Light’ leaves you with a smile on your face as Matteo gently takes you to the close of the album with a soft, easy-on-the-ear tune that feels like a warm blanket on a cool summer’s evening, then… Then he rips that blanket off with ‘The Chicken ft. Valeriy Stepanov (Bonus Track), and your face is melted once again. This one is pure fun and musical flexing as good as you’ll see or hear in a while. Jazz #Nice, funky and a bitchin’ tune to wrap up a sublime album.
As you would expect if you are familiar with Matteo, this album will be everything and more than you wanted. He is growing constantly as an artist, finding his feet as he navigates this crazy musical landscape that pushes and pulls on you as an artist trying to appease your fanbase while stretching the boundaries of your own imagination.
Route 96 is the perfect evolution of an artist who has so much yet to give, so strap yourself in, this is going to be one hell of a ride!
Track listing
1. Solar Wind ft. Steve Vai
2. Fire And Harmony
3. Isla Feliz (ft. Antoine Boyer)
4. L.A. Blues One
5. The Great Wall
6. Warm Sunset
7. Black Centurion
8. In The Morning Light
9. The Chicken ft. Valeriy Stepanov (Bonus Track)
Route 96. Released 24 April via Music Theories Recordings
Stream/Pre-Order HERE
Watch the video for Isla Feliz ft Antoine Boyer
UK Shows
13 May – Glasgow – Oran Mor
14 May – London – Islington Assembly Hall
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