by Alexandra Mrozowska
– Senior Columnist —
After releasing a string of instrumental solo recordings, a Cairo-based Polish guitarist Andrzej Citowicz returns with a new EP. This time, however, he abandons the convention his listeners were familiar with in favor of the co-operation with a bunch of like-minded musicians who went on forming The Andrzej Citowicz Experience together with Citowicz. The first to join forces with him was Dirk Arnicke, a German multi-instrumentalist and producer. This international project became a four-piece when Oliver Monsieur, a German singer/songwriter, and a young bassist Patryk Szymanski (from Citowicz’s homeland Poland) joined them. The combined effort of the four musicians resulted in the first EP released under the moniker of The Andrzej Citowicz Experience. The mini-album Jack Of Hearts is going to see the light of day in late November via Ancient Dreamland Productions.
You may be already pretty familiar with the first track on the EP. “The One” was chosen as a promo song for the new material, widely circulated on the band-related social media pages. It’s a melodic mid-tempo with a chorus that’s sugary but not banal, while Citowicz’s clear guitar tone bearing a distinct resemblance to the sound produced by Def Leppard’s late six string hero Steve Clark. However, the track itself is not much Leppard-esque in style, gravitating more towards the early recordings of Giant or Mitch Malloy. This excellent AOR piece is followed by another one that continues more or less in the same manner, yet with a bit heavier sound and dynamics – “Holdin’ The Key.” Catchy to the utmost, embroidered with an excellent chorus and a nifty solo, the track number two makes a worthy counterpart to the highlights released under the banner of Frontiers Records or AOR Heaven.
“Fisher Of Men” is a very spiritual, emotionally-laden ballad-esque piece with Oliver Monsieur’s raspy vocals sounding not too distant from Bangalore Choir’s David Reece. A solo part is short but expressive, an evident throwback to the tradition of guitar playing that favors the melody and substance rather than the equilibristic form – as of the aforementioned Clark or Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora. “Comin’ Home” gravitates melodic rock, or “pomp rock” as it’s infamously called, with a generous dose of the ‘80s-infused synthesizers versus feisty but melodic guitar sound. A final track on the EP is “The One” in its stripped-down, acoustic version that adds much to the track’s authenticity.
Jack Of Hearts is a very promising material altogether. While many a reviewer pointed out to the fact Citowicz’s previous albums would reach a whole new level if recorded with an appropriate singer, the new EP puts an end to this kind of shortcoming. Oliver Monsieur’s raspy, expressive voice, along with his songwriting talent and high-level performance, is thus not only much anticipated, but also valuable addition to the project. Another asset to it is a well-balanced performance of the rhythm section – the young, but talented Patryk Szymanski on bass guitar together with Dirk Arnicke on drums (the latter being also responsible for the keyboard sound and the clean-cut production of the entire material). And talking about production – perhaps the biggest risk taken here was the physical distance between the band members being considerable (to put it mildly). Such a situation, if handled inappropriately, could have resulted in the material being largely incoherent. On Jack Of Hearts, however, there’s a space for every sound and for every musician involved in the project, with the risk of effacing one another being fortunately avoided. Let’s thus hope it’s just the first slice of recording material from the Egypt-Germany-Poland-based quartet, while also looking forward to the next interesting releases under the moniker of The Andrzej Citowicz Experience. Jack Of Hearts, the first EP of theirs, is a well-crafted, polished, catchy dose of melodic rock/AOR enriched with an acoustic twist and vintage ‘80s-infused arrangements. Highly recommended.
Genre: Melodic Hard Rock
Band:
Andrzej Citowicz – guitars
Oliver Monsieur – vocals
Patryk Szymański – bass guitar, acoustic guitar
Dirk Arnicke – drums, keyboards
Tamas Angyan – background vocals
Track List:
1. The One
2. Holdin’ The Key
3. Fisher Of Men
4. Comin’ Home
5. The One (acoustic)
Label: Ancient Dreamland Productions
Website: www.tace-music.com – https://www.facebook.com/andrzejcitowicz
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10
