Giorgio Pretti is a more sincere brand of shrill guitar work in the vein of style like Santana. Why I say “more sincere” is the fact that Giorgio does the vocals and guitar most of the time, rather than the strictly narrow, guitar-only sound of Santana. Pretti is able to take changes in stride much more successfully than Santana; each track on “Cuidado Mano” does not need the same guitar wankery to be effectual. However, during tracks like “Estoy Sin Ti”, Pretti may not need to approach them same style of guitar work present in such acts (even with groups like Salvador), but the same hackneyed, saccharine-filled delivery seems as half-baked in Portuguese as it does when individuals do it in English. The guitars on this track, some that border elevator muzak, do not benefit an individual’s waning interest in the track.
What really handicaps this disc is the lack of energy, the fact that there is no burning desire to keep the disc infused with power. Some tracks on “Cuidado Mano” are slow and hobbled but do end up working, such as “Somewhere in LA”, but that is largely due to the strong vocals present on the track coupled with the Spanish/ska syncretism present on the track. It takes Pretti until nearly half-way through “Cuidado Mano’s” runtime to really make a hit; “Carmelita” has the sort of energy mixed with a tremendous instrumentation (especially with the heavy use of Michael Sena’s bass during the track) that really makes the track memorable. Much of the music on “Cuidado Mano” was created for the older market (that being with the over 50 crowd), and those individuals that can gain enjoyment from Jimmy Buffet and The Beach Boys will be able to connect to slower, poppy tracks like “Just Like I Told You” much better than any youth born after 1955.
Few of the tracks on “Cuidado Mano” can actually draw the interest of a larger segment of society; for example, “Come And Go” has the same pop progression that is present throughout popular music even in the present day, and the Latin flair of this track would have allowed it to soar during the Latin craze of the late nineties. The music on “Cuidado Mano” is inoffensive pop of the type that dominated the airwave through the sixties and seventies; it is not that the music is not well done, but that there is no real reason to choose this album over the incredible number of other discs on the market.
Top Tracks: Just Like I Told You, Somewhere in LA
Rating: 3.8/10
Giorgio Pretti – Cuidado Mano / 2005 Brasilian Beat / 13 Tracks / http://www.braszil.com.br / http://www.brasilianbeat.com / Reviewed 11 June 2005
Elevator muzak? I think you are out of your gourd! Considering the powerless music I hear on numerous radio frequencies, it would be a breath of fresh air to hear any of Giorgio’s tune, on ANY channel, ANYDAY!
Could it be that you lack exposure to different cultures or languages? Are you stuck in liking one kind of music? Giorgio can write play and produce a variety of styles. How many artist who can get out of their comfort zone do you know?
Of course, this page is your opinion. I simply hope that people will not rely on your taste and give this CD a listen.
I think that I purchased this CD around August of 2005, I remember this because it was such a colossal waste of money. The singer sounded he should have been working in an Italian restaurant as a waiter. Scratch that, bus boy. I wouldn’t want him reading me the daily special anyway. I find the instrumentals to be cheap and stereotypical. Really does every song gotta sound like That’s a’more? Anyway after I listen to the CD, I took a large crap. Just because I knew I could produce something myself that sounded just like this or better.