Mac / Corlevich - 2024 - Rain or Shine

(32:14; XO La Factory)

Track list:
1. Machines 1:29
2. A Place Called Home 3:06
3. Farewell Kisses 3:08
4. Rain or Shine 4:44
5. The Slowest Candle 3:46
6. The Porch Song 3:02
7. Let Your Eyes Wander 3:46
8. Something Beautiful 3:55
9. A New Tomorrow 2:23
10. Adore the Sun 2:55

Line-up:
Davide Corlevich - guitars, keyboards, bass, percussion
Cristiano Mecchi - vocals, drums, keyboards, percussion


Italian twosome Mac/Corlevich feature the talents of Cristiano Mecchi and Davide Corlevich, two musicians with somewhat different backgrounds that have come together to explore musical landscapes that, from the descriptions given, are fairly different from what they have been involved with in any of their other ventures. Their first album as a creative partnership is called "Rain or Shine", and was released through the label XO La Factory in the spring of 2024.

What we get on this occasion is music of a simple and stripped down nature. The vocals and the acoustic guitar are the main stars of the show here, and the songs rely upon the expertise of the singer and the main instrumentalist to be able to make an impression. And in this case we have consummate professionals that are very well aware of what they want to accomplish and how they are going to reach their goals.

Corlevich is an elegant guitar player, and the wandering and plucked guitar tapestries he provides are always in motion and always contribute more than the bare minimum for the sparse landscapes explored. Some additional notes here, a little bit of nuance there, some additional motion or otherwise small and minor expansions and additions beyond the core melody always seems to be present. There are always the presence of those subtle details and extra nuances that makes the core melodies more interesting to listen to. Beautiful melodies aye, but there's also tension, movement and flow. Brilliantly captured too.

Mecchi is a skilled and versatile vocalist, a matter that is equally important in a stripped down setting. Whether he delivers the lyrics in a calm and collected manner or makes use of a more emotional mode of delivery there's always tension and nerve present with the vocals here, and like with Corlevich guitar displays there's additional effort being made that adds a further vitality to the landscapes explored.

In terms of style and orientation, this is very much a singer/songwriter affair, at least at the core level. The majority of the songs, or perhaps all of them, are of the kind that a single person can perform with an acoustic guitar and his or her voice alone. The twosome have expanded many of the songs beyond such a core foundation though, although in most cases in part rather than in full. A little bit of a rhythm section may appear in some places, some keyboards may be added in certain parts, vocal harmonies may be applied and what sounds like tasteful electric guitar additions get some space and room to shine too. These and other elements adds variation to the mix and enhance the core tension created by the aforementioned attributes given by the tasteful acoustic guitar and lead vocals foundation, and does elevate the experience to a level a bit above being merely beautiful sounding and compelling. That many of the songs also comes with a bit of an Americana feel probably merits a mention too. While not straight up creations of a purebred Americana nature or a Country feel there are certainly undercurrents of both that is something of a recurring element here.

In essence this is an album to seek out by those who are fond of stripped down and bare bone singer/songwriter material with half a foot or so inside the Americana tradition of that spectrum, and especially if you enjoy such ventures given a bit of a tasteful expansion into what sounds like more of a full band performance in certain places while never losing touch of the core and stripped down singer/songwriter tradition. A solid album that should have a wide appeal among the audience demographic described.

Olav M. Björnsen, June 2024

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Mac.Corlevich
https://www.xolafactory.com/