AL DI MEOLA — Splendido Hotel (review)

AL DI MEOLA — Splendido Hotel album cover Album · 1980 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
dreadpirateroberts
A kind of preoccupation with places of extreme heat is clear from Al Di Meola's song titles and his general sound, adding to the Latin feel of much of his music. But his is not an urban Latin like Santana's can be, and is instead located more in the natural world.

Here on 'Splendido Hotel' he once again brings forth his speed and familiar motifs, but expands his sound on a double album, which attempts a little bit of everything. Once again his cast of supporting musicians has been expanded to include multiple rhythm players, several keyboard players and a small string section. Is it all completely successful? Not every song no.

'Alien Chase on Arabian Desert' starts off with some sci-fi keyboards before covering similar territory as his other albums, opening with a deceptive medium pace before unleashing bursts of speed. It's one of the more 'rockier' piece here, along with 'Dinner Music of the Gods' or 'Ali Di's Dream Theme' with is signature lead line. Elsewhere he is more calm, with a larger proportion of acoustic based numbers. 'Silent Story in her Eyes' is similar to 'Dark Eyed Tango' in feel and tone, while 'Roller Jubilee' has a sunny, happy pop feel and is a welcome change. 'Two to Tango' is another duet with Chick Corea on acoustic piano, and while it works and is one of my favourite moments, it doesn't stand out in context of this more sprawling album.

Deeper into side two are another pair of pop-sounding songs, a nice reading of 'Spanish Eyes' that features Les Paul and the 80s pop of 'I Can Tell' which has not aged well. 'Isfahan' is probably the most adventurous track on the album, but it doesn't quite live up to its promise. An eerie choir leads into strings and guitar, which then move into something close to tone-poem territory. A Corea composition, it is definitely an interesting step for Al Di Meola, who is stretching out on this album, but it doesn't quite have everything it needs somehow.

Another good album from Di Meola, with some superb tracks mixed amongst a lot of familiar territory and half-successful experiments.
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