Marco Benevento: “Me Not Me”

Though the title of his new album, Me Not Me, might suggest that Marco Benevento is experiencing some sort of identity crisis, the album is actually a typically sure-footed, self-confident adventure from a musical innovator without peer—in other words, another Marco Benevento album. In fact, Me Not Me might just represent the most comfortable Benevento has ever sounded on record, as though, for the first time, he’s not out to prove anything, to himself or anyone else; more than anything else, it sounds like the keyboardist/composer is savoring an opportunity to simply kick back and play the music that he loves. And that opportunity is well-earned; Benevento cut his teeth as the organ-playing half of the Benevento/Russo duo before showing off his virtuosity as both a musician and a bandleader on the marathon, triple-disc set Live from Tonic, eventually getting around to revealing his dauntless vision as a composer and a record-maker on 2008’s terrific Invisible Baby.

Read the rest of my review at Stereo Subversion.