Here’s a wonderful disc that captures the passion of the Mediterranean. Newpoli consists of Angela Rossi-Carmen Marsico/voc, Roberto Cassan/acc, Bjorn Wennas/g, Fabio Pirozzolo/perc, Daniel Meyers/perc, Karen Burciaga/vio and Sean Farias/b delivering tradision al folk sounds from southern Italy with excitement and passion. The songs range from the 16th-19th Centuries, but this is no collection of madrigals; the rhythms sound like a street or church festival as Rossi and Marsico yelp and passionately deliver their lyrics with romantic passion and defiance, as on the fiery title track. Their husky voices ride over the lilting guitars and tambourines on “Sciure D’arance” while the festive hand claps on “Nummamuina’ E Cicere” make you want to form a circle dance. Cassan’s accordion mixes with a relentlessly staccato percussive and vocal beat on “Ue’ Uailli” while the rhythm team trudges and stomps through the grapes while the ladies deliver field hollars on “Nun L’ava A Fa/Donna Sabella.” The unbridled ferver of the singers mixed with the intoxicating and exotic instruments makes for one of the most fervent releases of the year.
Beartones Records