Mondo Cane Mike Patton Artist

{|Mike Patton|}'s previous work scoring a {|Morricone|}-esque soundtrack ({|A Perfect Place|}), covering themes from movie soundtracks ({|The Directors Cut|}), embracing the language and music of other cultures ({|Anonymous|}), and crooning ({|Lovage... Read more

{|Mike Patton|}'s previous work scoring a {|Morricone|}-esque soundtrack ({|A Perfect Place|}), covering themes from movie soundtracks ({|The Directors Cut|}), embracing the language and music of other cultures ({|Anonymous|}), and crooning ({|Lovage|}), all invariably had a deeper purpose: preparation for his most elaborate endeavor to date (which is saying a lot.) Inspired by time spent in Italy visiting his in-laws and listening to the oldies station there a decade prior, for this project the vocalist extraordinaire performs renditions of cinematic {|Italian pop|} songs of the '50s and '60s, all while backed by a 40-piece orchestra, a choir, and a 15-piece band. To add to the grandeur, the recordings are taken from live shows, with the best bits pasted together from a slew of European performances using studio magic. Most of the parts are taken from the tour's first intimate performances in Italy, which is fitting. {|Mondo Cane|} sounds authentically Italian. {|Patton'|}s time in his second home in Bologna was apparently well spent. His grasp of the language is exceptional; he sings naturally with the comfort of a true native (and a flair for rolling rs) throughout the bulk of the release. {|Deep Down|} lapses into English, only because the original does, in a masterfully embellished version of {|Ennio Morricone'|}s theme from {|Danger Diabolik|}. Because the original soundtrack masters are M.I.A., this little slice of magic brings a previously unavailable piece of history back to life, and it's a totally worthy substitution. It's not surprising that {|Patton|} would pay tribute to his hero {|Morricone|}, whose material {|Ipecac|} reissued in the {|Crime and Dissonance|} set, but the big surprise and reward is when he takes risks with deep Italian cuts by {|Fred Bongusto|}, {|the Blackmen|}, {|Luigi Tenco|}, and {|Gino Paoli|}. All of these, while taken from a variety of styles, from {|Frank Sinatra|} {|pop|} to {|psychedelic|} {|garage rock|}, are covered as they should be: with proper respect to the original, while showing off the unique personality of {|Patton|}. Sure, he's showing restraint, and singing ballads, mostly, but that doesn't mean he's not going to go from an Operaman impression to a maniacal wail on a whim. Dynamic bombast is his specialty, and amazingly, it all fits perfectly within the confines of Italian pop. As outlandish as {|Mondo Cane|} is, it all somehow amounts to the most easily digestible thing in {|Patton'|}s scattered discography. Weird, considering {|Peeping Tom|} was his so-called pop project. ~ Jason Lymangrover Less