Amplifico – ‘See Heart See Muscle’ (MDM Creations)
It’s a great pleasure to have the amplifico debut album in my hand. Having seen Donna Maciocia support Aberfeldy last year and blogged enthusiastically about them here, I can only imagine how great it feels for them, given that the album was partly funded by individual donation and a webathon fundraiser gig.
And ‘See Heart See Muscle’ does not disappoint. Following on from a series of self-released EPs, See Heart See Muscle commits to vinyl (well, CD and download) a dozen songs which have amazed live.
So, people keep comparing her to KT Tunstall (well, they’re both female and from Fife, Scotland, but it kind of stops there) and I wish these comparisons would stop because a) it’s lazy and b) it’s not terribly accurate. Donna’s got a gorgeous smokey voice and a unique style of keyboard playing that means there aren’t many to compare these songs to. ‘Yeah you Can be My Muse’ and ‘Baby Baby’ blew me away from the stage and they continue to do so here. With bandmates Ross Kilgour and Dave Brunton, this album shows that the waiting was worth it and the promise delivered.
****1/2
See Heart See Muscle is out now
Amplifico -‘Red Song.’ mp3