On his sixth album, Québecois singer/songwriter
Nicola Ciccone held to his standard form of pop-infused singing. There's drama in this one, all light guitar riffs and smoky vocals.
Ciccone seems to have modernized
Neil Diamond in his deliveries -- the sound is over the top, and his vocals are clearly highlighted as the star of the show. Despite this, the arrangements are relatively straightforward, modern but somewhat relaxed. There are clear influences of modern country music (as well as Canadian country and contemporary Christian elements), with
Ciccone placing repeated lines over the instruments, increasing in emotion and desperation with each repetition.
Ciccone has a great deal of steam behind him in the world of Francophone singers, and even an album of standard pieces can put him into the running for Quebec's ADISQ Awards, as
Imaginaire certainly did, even if it didn't quite stack up with previous albums. ~ Adam Greenberg