That Dangerous Sparkle by Simon Scardanelli

and Charmaine Burton, with an unforgettable "Hosanna" sung by Brenda Shah

4/ That Dangerous Sparkle - Johnny Miller - Bass

5/ She Comes - Beebe - Soprano Saxophone, Dorothée Hausser - Voix Françoise, Johnny Miller - Bass

6/ When You're Lying

7/ Risky Business - when you hear that Scardanelli spent over two weeks searching for the "perfect reverb" for the Sax solo on this song, you'll understand why it took 18 months to complete the album! So who played on this epic track? Mikov hit the drums very very hard indeed, and Johnny Miller thumped a most musical Bass guitar. Beebe then added his inimitable screaming Soprano Saxophone.

8/ It's Only Life - Inspired by real-life scullduggery and venomous enemies trying to have a pop at Scardanelli, revenge is indeed a dish best served ice cold...with Mikov on drums and Johnny Miller on Bass.

9/ Take Your Hand Away

All other instruments played by Simon Scardanelli - acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards and synthesisers, treble recorder, harmonium, drum programming and acousmatic sonic treatments.

Thanks to Sam Chittenden for the photo of Scardanelli, and design and layout of the album. Cover photo by kind permission of Sharpe's Pottery Museum, Swadlincote, Derbyshire.

REVIEW from Base.ad

Written by Evan Parker

Saturday, 19 May 2007

"To be honest, when I first pressed play on Brummie singer/songwriter Simon Scardanelli’s third album That Dangerous Sparkle I was expecting to hear dreary and inoffensive James Blunt type music. I was even more put off by the fact that he was previously in an (now defunct) ’80s rock duo called Big Bam Boo which some of you older music fans might have heard of, or not. However I was surprised with the versatility of the album. What isn’t a surprise however is the fact that Scardanelli is currently taking a PhD in electro-acoustic composition. The album sees him flirting with folk flutes, subtle keyboard textures and bleepy electro bits.

The album can be divided into two parts musically. The first half packed with powerful melodic ballads, with Scardanelli crooning away over flutes and acoustic guitar.

The album takes a dark experimental twist halfway through the tense ‘She Comes’ where Scardanelli’s wail pierces through the tranquil acoustic guitar and summons a frantic saxophone solo from the pits of hell. The second half also sees Scardanelli breaking away from his croon and singing in his own natural accent. The album highlight is the vocoder heavy ‘Risky Business’ which sees the return of the unsettling saxophone, which this time battles with a haunting organ. At 9:11 minutes long the track never feels bloated or pretentious.

You never know what is lurking around That Dangerous Sparkle’s dark corner, but whatever it is will always shock and surprise. Scardanelli is always prepared to take a risk, and we should all hope that it is this experimentation that is the future of British singer/songwriters."

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