Palladino, Fabiana
Fabiana Palladino
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 2024 original pressed on limited edition transparent red vinyl. Custom hype sticker on shrink. Includes a four-page color insert with pictures, lyrics, and credits. "Before she made her self-titled full-length debut in 2024, Fabiana Palladino had been releasing songs at the rate of a slow drip for well over a decade and was perhaps known more for her session and live backing work with the likes of Jessie Ware, Laura Groves, and the enigmatic Jai Paul. One of the first artists added to the roster of Jai and A.K. Paul's Paul Institute label, the singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer scattered a handful of alien if emotive electronic pop singles from 2017 through 2023. The last of those was "I Care," a woozy love resolution she made with Jai (as duet partner) and her demigod bassist father, Pino Palladino. "I Care" snaps tightly into place here, though the album was largely written in the wake of a split. Palladino expresses heartache, loneliness, and desire in a relatable fashion, and calls upon a gang of collaborators -- fellow producer Harry Craze, background vocalist Jamie Woon, string arranger Rob Moose, mother Maz, brother Rocco, sister Giancarla, and on and on -- yet this is an intensely personal album with a singular perspective and sound world of its own. Palladino sets the tone by quoting the title of Prince's "Strange Relationship," and what transpires through the closing falsetto showcase "Forever" could be pitched as a lost, recovered, and contemporized mid-'80s Wendy & Lisa project with touches of the purple one, Jam & Lewis, and Kashif. (The rubbery "Deeper" and a cross between peak Timbaland and Tin Drum-era Japan on "In the Fire" are enchanting exceptions.) Remarkably, "I Care" and "Forever," a proper finale that crests with a convergence of strings and Palladino's stacked vocals, are almost outdone by the counterpart ballads that seem comparatively off the cuff, "I Can't Dream Anymore" and "Give Me a Sign." Two of the best uptempo songs likewise flow with ease. The sweetly pleading "Stay with Me Through the Night" is pushed forward by the foot of ace drummer Steve Ferrone and another lithe Pino bassline, and it gives way to "Shoulda," a paisley-patterned rocker full of regret and a sense of c'est la vie. This is one creatively askew pop-R&B delight after another, all voiced with captivating and confident flair by a razor-sharp songwriter." All Music Guide - Andy Kellman