By Mike Mash
KMLA Radio Disc Jockey
Some might say I’ve saved the best for last. Well, even though this is not the last issue of the year for this semester, next week I have something special planned.
Of all the albums that I’ve heard in connection with this column, Gino Vannelli’s “Brother to Brother” is the best. That not to say the others that I’ve reviewed this year were not good or best in their own rights, it’s just that I prefer Vannelli’s style more than the rest.
Well, that’s enough about the background, now the facts.
In the past, Gino Vannelli has been a somewhat mediocre artist. He was very good, but he never attained the following that he deserved. Well, hopefully this effort he has done it. It is, in all aspects, a very well put together piece of music.
In this effort, as in the preceding ones, Vannelli shows his vocals as strong, deep, meaningful, and powerful. His lyrics (written by he and his brothers) are moving, honest, and rich in feeling. The best which I find the most pleasing, in this album, are in the lyrics.
The cut that has made it into the charts, and one of the best on the album, I Just Wanna Stop, unfolds a story of a tender love that was very good, but fell apart over the span of time. At the end there is hope that the break-up was for the best, but it still hurts.
The River Must Flow tells how one must follow their own instincts on man to sacrifice for just companionship.
The song People I Belong To is recognition of the fact that we all have someone.
In Wheels of Life Vannelli tells of how life continues after a tragic loss of love.
In all the cuts are found a tribute to the power that a close relationship has on our lives. The song tells the things that we tend to forget in the bustle of every day life. This is a very beautiful album, this is an album that should be shared between two people that are already sharing together.
More Concerts: Even though it is too late to get advance tickets, Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge are going to be in concert in Pine Bluff, Ark. tomorrow night. There might be some tickets available at the door. Tonight, Louisiana’s La Rue are playing at Robinson Coliseum in Little Rock. Tickets are $6.50 and are available at the door.