Solo albums for bass players are something of a rarity, but not unheard of. Players like Stu Hamm and Billy Sheehan have succeeded in stepping out of their roles as the bottom ends for Joe Satriani and Mr. Big respectively. Both players it has to be said are very much pioneers of the bass guitar and as such will always have the bass playing community looking out for their products. And now comes a solo album from one Alberto Rigoni, bass player for progressive metal band Twin Spirits.

Twin Spirits impressed this reviewer a while back with their release “The Music That Healed The World” and, with the release of this solo album, Rigoni has opted to, and I quote, “reach a freer and more poetic musical expression that matched to my melody and sensitivity”. I would agree that there is a definite sense of freedom to everything here, it’s very much a case of anything goes and it certainly has lots of musical variety, touching on funk (which all bass players love to do), rock, and fusion, progressive and ambient. I found however that it needed quiet a few listens to really get under my skin. In no way was it “hard work” more a case of there being a lot of subtleties and moods to absorb that you couldn’t necessarily comprehend with just a few plays.

Some of the most rewarding moments on Something Different came from the short, and at times dream like tracks,  “Trying To Forget”, “One Moment Before” and “Desert Break “ which have the ability to take one anywhere one chooses. Just shut you eyes and drift with the notes, if anything it would have been nice if some of these tracks had gone on longer. There are also two vocal tracks on the album which are “Bass Sex” which paints a cheeky image of the bass as a phallic symbol and also features a nice vocal performance from Irene Ermolli. Somehow though it just didn’t do it for me as a whole, I loved the playing but the song didn’t give me any “naughty goosebumps”. I would go as far as saying it would have sounded as good, if not better, without the vocals.

“Roller Coaster” is a nice rocker that literally does feel like a musical ride with no escape till the end. Once more I didn’t get the vocals and felt they added nothing to the performance. In fact I found myself having a bit of a giggle as Daniele “Kenny” Conte’s pronunciation of “seat belt” comes out as “shit belt”. It’s just a case of accents causing their unfortunate havoc.

For some reason “Something Different” didn't manage to catch my imagination in the way that I was hoping. Everyone who plays on the album puts in great individual performances but maybe it’s the lack of some standout moments that have stopped this from becoming an album deserved of wholesome recommendation. Bass players will definitely dig it and if anything Alberto shows that there is more to bass playing than meets the eye, or should that be ear but I fear that won’t be enough to help this album from reaching more than a minority audience.

Let us know your views on Something Different

Track Listing

The Factory
Trying To Forget
Glory Of Life
SMS
BASSex
One Moment Before
Roller Coaster
Desert Break
Jammin' On Vocal Drums
Sweet Tears