Review: The Bonazzoli Band Pay Tribute to Artists Who Influenced Their Sound With Eclectic New Covers Album
- by Joe Sharratt
- in Featured
Founded in 2009 by lead vocalist Matthew Bonazzoli and piano and keyboard player Patrick Thompson, The Bonazzoli Band had never recorded a covers album before Under Cover, their fifth LP and their first since 2019’s Torqued.
The album kicks off with a country take on the Bob Seger track Against The Wind, before we’re treated to a fascinating reworking of ELO’s Getting To The Point that plays with the vocals of the original in a captivating way, creating a great new take on the song.
Writing on their official Facebook page about the track, the band said: “We've always loved ELO and their music has been a great influence on The Bonazzoli Band and many other groups. For our album Under Cover we chose to record a track from ELO's 1985 album Balance of Power called Getting to the Point. It was never a huge hit of theirs but it's a great song and we felt that we could do an interesting job with it.”
Let Yourself Go is another highlight, an engaging twist on the Elvis Presley song taken from the 1968 film Speedway, which saw the famous singer star alongside Nancy Sinatra. The Bonazzoli Band’s reworking of the Dean Martin track I Will is also a delight, while the rich mixture of Bonazzoli’s vocals and some intricate guitar work makes their version of the old folk standard Wayfaring Stranger another highlight here.
Elsewhere, there’s twists on tracks from Roy Orbison, Alice Cooper, Jay and the Americans, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and most intriguingly, a version of Benson Arizona taken from the 1973 John Carpenter film Dark Star that closes out the album. Under Cover benefits from slick production thoughout, and the range of tracks here, and how well they’re all handled, is a testament to the ability of the band who’ve crafted an enjoyable and rewarding listen here.
Watch the official video for Getting To The Point here, which premieres at 6 pm on Saturday 26 September.
Under Cover tracklist:
1. Against The Wind
2. Getting To The Point
3. Blue Bayou
4. Run Through The Jungle
5. Six Hours
6. Let Yourself Go
7. This Magic Moment
8. I WIll
9. Wayfaring Stranger
10. Benson Arizona
