trageser.com
Music Review

Home
Computers
Book Reviews and Reading Diary
CD Buying Guide and Music Links
Best-of lists
CD Reviews
CDs, sorted by Style
CDs, sorted by year issued
CDs, sorted by publication review ran in
CDs by San Diego bands
All CDs, sorted by band name
All CDs, sorted by album title
Interviews
Favorite quotations
Contact Me



And by night, a singer ...

For the First Time
For the First Time
By Gary Spizzirri

Self-released: 2007

Buy it now


This review first appeared in the January 3, 2008 issue of the North County Times.

The postmaster of the Vista post office, Gary Spizzirri recently also released an album of pop standards. Covering a broad swath of the pop canon, Spizzirri sings in front of a big band ("Beyond the Sea," "Under My Skin"), a small jazz combo with strings ("You Don't Know Me") and a standard rock band ("Before You Accuse Me"). The arrangements are solid, echoing a sort of Jack Jones / Barry Manilow vibe, and Spizzirri has a pleasant singing voice, with a nice sense of presence and splendid timing. The album suffers a bit from a heavy-handed echo effect on Spizzirri's vocals that gives it a weird '80s sound. Overall, though, a nice surprise, and an album one hopes is followed up with a more active performance schedule in 2008.