Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti is known around Chicago for his various tribute shows honoring iconic 1960s pop acts such as The Zombies, Bee Gees, and The Monkees, as well as The Beatles as a group and solo artists. This year’s Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago event will feature him performing in the main ballroom. But it would be a shame to overlook the original material Angotti’s delivered on his solo albums over the years.
The recently released Once Around Again is certainly one of his best. Listening to these 10 tracks, it’s obvious Angotti has learned a trick or two while honoring his heroes in all those tribute shows. Nearly all the songs on Once Around Again clock in with a mid-1960s hit single length, and there’s a noticeable emphasis on craftsmanship. Producer J.K. Harrison, who helped out on backing vocals and instrumentation, also deserves credit.
“Mr. Harris Tweed,” with its clever rhymes and fun arrangement, is a very mid-1960s satirical character study worthy of The Bee Gees, The Beatles, or The Zombies.`“You’re like a guy in a Python skit,” Angotti notes at one point, and the song fades out with funny Monty Python style grumbling. The sarcastically titled “You Say The Funniest Things” bristles with quick-rhyme observations such as “The affection you fake on the phone/Won’t help me when I’m all alone.” From what I understand, it’s a reworking of a song Angotti did with his first band The Idea years ago.
“Shy Violet” is another look at a troubled relationship and its psychedelic arrangement conjures colorful images of the Yellow Submarine flick. “Mystery Street” sets critical observations regarding middle-class neighbors “feeling insecure in their old brick houses” to an appealing acoustic and electric guitars arrangement. “Eye For An Eye” is the album’s only track longer than four minutes, and its introspective mood is reminiscent of the fine work Steve Dawson crafted on his At The Bottom Of A Canyon In The Branches Of A Tree album. The thought-provoking “Masked Men And April Fools” offers a child’s look at the pandemic, while “Priscilla” is a high-speed fun rocker with clever rhymes that imagines the early days of Elvis and Priscilla’s courtship.
2 comments:
I've known Phil Angotti for at least 30 years and he's very serious about music. He's the real deal, in the sense that it's his livelihood and that's his job. And he once told me that he's lucky to be able to play music for a living and not have to work a regular job and that takes guts, and Phil has what it takes and follows his bliss, and really works hard at it. Good for him, and I too dig his latest record Once Around Again, especially the songs, You Say The Funniest Things and Priscilla.
I've known Phil Angotti for many years and he's very serious about his music and has made his living playing music which takes a lot of guts and that's what Phil has. He's also one of the hardest working musicians that I know and usually has more than one project going on and that's how he's created an niche for himself that allows for him to do what he loves and make a living out of it, whether it be performing cover songs or his original material, he's out there making it happen for himself and I admire that. Lastly, I have to say that his latest release Once Around Again, is very good and I really like the songs "You Say The Funniest Things" and "Priscilla" that are on it. And I know that the more I listen to it, the more I will discover other cool songs that are on it.
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