THE ALBUM BY TOYGRACE
Review by Adriana Rubio
“Average Songs” is an eight tracks album which was self-produced, recorded and mastered at Synchronia Recording Studios in Rome, Italy by “Toygrace” during 2010-2011. The album was released digitally in December 2011.
The meeting of piano player and composer Emanuele “Ema” Parlati and vocalist Laura Ferri Ricchi gave birth to Toygrace in August 2009. Ema composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the album “Average Songs”. Ema plays piano, keyboards and guitars in most of the album’s songs. Although Toygrace was formed as a Duo, the album also features Piero E. Pierantozzi on drums, Simone Di Rienzo on bass guitar, vocalist Denis Tesselli, and Vince Grieco on guitar.
“Average Songs” sounds like…“What’s going on here?”… You can’t put it into a specific genre. The songs are mood-styled and the compositions sound properly balanced with very few ups and downs. The instruments are very well performed and all musical arrangements fit perfectly. Laura is an outstanding vocalist capable of switching singing styles from Progressive-Metal to Pop, Latin and even pushing someone’s buttons with a Jazz melody.
Toygrace founder and band’s leader Ema Parlati played as an extreme metal keyboardist for a death metal band called “Defunctis”, but you’re not going to listen any of that playing style on the “Average Songs” album. Ema has also played live gigs for various tribute-covers bands throughout Italy in their most different musical styles. All this together helped Ema to refine his musical knowledge, piano playing and songwriting abilities to sit and compose the tracks for Toygrace’s first album “Average Songs”. This album clearly reflects the unique way this sophisticated piano composer feels music to express the everyday living sentiments. Toygrace music provides a mix of positive energy and calmness while listening. It is all mainly focused in trying to find the right balance in our lives.
AVERAGE SONGS
TRACKS LIST
IT’S NOT EASY TO BE ME
GREAT!
SATINE STONE
ME, YOU
MAGNET LOVE
MUSIC
OVER
FUNNY GAME
The “Average Songs” album also counts with a video-clip for the song “Great!” directed by Rosencrantz & Guilderstern from RG Factory in Rome. This song was first presented live in August 2010 by Toygrace vocalist Laura Ferri Ricchi at the Music Festival in Solariolo (IT) and reached the semifinals position. Toygrace is also a DEUCE act, a serious and established London-based Management for unsigned bands.
