Vincent Covello’s Torchlights is a seldom-heard musical animal. Adult-oriented pop boasting mature songwriting and a solid adherence to fundamentals is increasingly rare. Fashion has found the sensitive songwriter’s penchant for strong vocals, plentiful piano, melody, and tradition-minded playing fallen out of favor. Covello didn’t get the memo or else he didn’t care.
URL: https://vincentcovellomusic.com/
Let’s be grateful he didn’t. His collection, Torchlights, stakes its claim early on in emotional storytelling and rarely relents. The high intensity of the album opener “Time Plays Us All” throws down the gauntlet for the remaining nine tracks. Covello’s confluence of straightforward piano balladry with classical touches isn’t new territory. However, his voice puts a distinctive stamp on the proceedings. Covello sings with raw, near-quivering feeling in his voice that never risks melodrama. It’s a fantastic instrument for songs such as this.
Classical influences are present during the album’s nominal title track. They don’t manifest the same outsized presence they did during the opener. Instead, Covello’s piano playing and vocals lead the way. His skills on the keys will dazzle all but the hardest of hearts, and his singing nicely complements his command of the piano. “Torchlight” is one of the album’s early highlights. The jazzier tilt of “Blow Your Mind” is another memorable moment. Incorporating horns into the music is a smart move that further diversifies the album’s sound. The song’s sharp stylistic shift away from its predecessors comes at an excellent place in Torchlights’ running order.
The track “Remember When” offers listeners another marquee-worthy moment. It follows the same arranging template featured in several of the album’s songs. Covello’s decisions about pacing and texture are the song’s saving grace. His seemingly endless capacity for weaving original melodies that sound as if they overlap with one another serves him well with this track, and another deeply felt vocal supplies the crowning touch.
The early passages of “The Next Life” are much starker than many Torchlights’ tracks. Covello develops the cut in a cinematic fashion that culminates in a full-band finale. He achieves a level of gravitas with this performance that stands out and proves himself up for matching its emotional intensity. “Start to End” begins with almost hushed intimacy before transforming into another big Covello production by its conclusion. He nevertheless builds songs that feature boundless tweaks to his songwriting formula, and no two are exactly alike.
It’s a relatively bold move opting for an instrumental as your album’s penultimate track. However, “Medley” is a worthwhile number. It naturally spotlights Covello’s piano playing, and he doesn’t disappoint with a variety of pleasing runs. You can’t deny the range he displays across the keys. The brief “Here Then Gone” supplies Torchlights with an affecting coda. The cathartic qualities of this collection are impossible to ignore; many of the album’s ten cuts sound practically cleaved out of Covello’s consciousness. There isn’t a single song on the recording that doesn’t deliver. Vincent Covello’s Torchlights is a well-balanced work that will impress any listener, and invites you to return for more.
Claire Uebelacker