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Artist: Artie Tobia
Album: “The Parade”
CD Review: Although the liner notes indicate that “The Parade” was recorded largely in Connecticut there is a lot of Nashville in this record. There’s a bit of twangy guitar in the arrangements and songwriting style but it's also just in the mood of the CD. It has a touch of blues stirred in with a southern rock feel. It kind of reminds me of John Mellencamp.

Most of the songs are what I might call character studies and that makes “The Parade” a well chosen title for the CD. The songs are about many people and experiences that have made an impression in Tobia’s life.

Tobia does the writing, singing and acoustic guitar work on the songs here, with a strong lineup of talented accompanying players to round out the CD. Tobia puts a lot of heart and passion into his vocals. Many people are huge fans of this singing style but there are just a few times when I think he goes a little over the top and chooses passion over pitch.

The accompaniments provide a nice full sound and it’s a quality recording. There's a great energy throughout the CD whether it's with the rocking rhythms or heartfelt ballads. Tobia is a talented writer and fans of a John Mellencamp vibe will really enjoy “The Parade”.

www.artietobia.com
www.redtailhawkrecords.com