j o e

This was the second and final album by Italy's Saint Just, and with these six compositions (most of which are extended in length) it is generally acknowledged to be their best. Lead singer Jane Sorrenti (a.k.a. Jenny Sorrenti) grabs you by the arm, pulls you onto the magic carpet that is her voice, and whisks you off into the heavens ("Tristana" and "Messicano" being pretty decent examples). I can't really describe her accurately. Maybe Liz Frasier's spacier vocal climes blessed with the lung-energy of Janis Joplin? Well, listen to it for yourself (that is, if you can find it- see below). La Casa del Lago was as hypomanic as she ever got. It should be said that some find her vocal approach here to be grating, so be warned of that possibility. If you are finding that to be the case, on other albums she reins her vocals in more. Also, the music is by no means ground-breaking. The Saint Just/Sorrenti albums are, currently speaking, becoming an increasingly rarer find (if I recall correctly, Mellow Records discontinued their eponymous album, and don't have the right to renew production). Also, though I doubt it ever will be, La Casa Del Lago is an album that's screaming to be remixed and remastered. As it stands, the CD sound on Mellow is listenable and not unbearable, but I'll bet it could be made to sound much better. If you can locate this one, bully for you. I say it's quite a fun album. review by Joe McGlinchey — 3-22-00 —

b r a n d o n

La Casa del Lago is the sort of album that breezes effortlessly by, never offering much resistance yet somehow managing to leave an impression. This early Italian prog gem is essentially a decent psych-rock release with the significant benefit of a uniquely memorable vocalist in Jane (Jenny) Sorrenti. A wide variety of instruments — much wider, in fact, than what's credited in the liner notes, with violin, 12-string guitar, and such used liberally — weave together intricately in a frenetic, but never overbearing, storm of crescendoes and extended jams. Always upbeat, always uptempo, and always energetic. As solid as the instrumental backing is, it's Sorrenti's voice that grabs the listener's attention. In fact, after the first couple times I listened to this one, I couldn't have told you what the music was like, except for Sorrenti's voice. She demands that much attention, for better or worse, and as a result people seem to either love or hate this album. I for one enjoy her voice a great deal: while I often dislike thin, high-pitched voices like Sorrenti's, she has such a fascinating style that I can't help but smile. It seems that Sorrenti is wordlessly emoting rather than singing most of the time; while there are lyrics to all these songs, more often than not she's just going "la-la-la" or "na-na-na," and her joyfulness is infectious. The epic "Nella Vita, Un Pianto" is particularly wonderful, with Sorrenti's vocals and the instrumental backing reaching dizzying peaks of emotional frenzy. The energy level here is nothing short of amazing. So, basically what we have here is a decent psych-rock/jam-band kind of album, notable solely because of its spectacular vocalist. I'm told Saint Just's first album has less of these rock elements and favors a more heavily folky, though no less complex, vibe. Some folk elements are present here, but the overarching theme is simply one of joyous jamming abandon. Despite my general preference for dark and dreary music, I need something more uplifting once in a while, and La Casa del Lago is just the ticket. review by Brandon Wu — 9-8-05 —