Impossible Spaces

The second full album (not counting his transitional Plays Polmo Polpo release) by Sandro Perri under his own name finds the jack-of-all-trades producer/musician further exploring the more traditional singer/songwriter approach his work under his own name has tended toward, though always with a kind of unexpected lushness and direction that steer clear of simple revivalism. The whole of Impossible Spaces holds together as a strong listen, but in many ways it's the individual moments that stand out above all else. "Changes" flows as a kind of easy ramble with precise moments, bringing in orchestrated '70s funk, singer/songwriter bemusement with a bit of a sly nod to David Bowie's own song of the same name, and a hint of the lushness of the underrated U.K. act Butterfly Child, along with a lengthy coda that might as well be a whole song in its own distinct right. The fleck of glam descending on "How Will I?" brings out the melancholy of a song dedicated to a deceased collaborator, while "Love & Light" has a gentle touch of something that could have been from Brazil in the early '60s -- just enough to suggest some breathless (literally) grace kicking along. "Futureactive Kid, Pt. 1" signals a slight shift in the feeling of the album to something more focused and stripped down, with acoustic guitar, stiff beats, and moaning tones holding sway even as Perri still sings in his easy fashion, the whole shifting back into the flute-led jazz-inspired flow of "Futureactive Kid, Pt. 2." ~ Ned Raggett