Hopefully, there were many guitar fans who got excited, with good reason, when it was announced that Italian guitarist Simone Fiorletta, of Moonlight Comedy fame, was releasing a second solo album. Simone’s first solo album, Parallel Worlds, a guitar instrumental by nature, was received very well by guitar enthusiasts world wide. So, it’s understandable that several fans would herald in his “second coming,” so to speak.

Simone’s latest endeavor is entitled My Secret Diary, and yes, this one is also a guitar instrumental. The most noticeable difference between the two releases is that on My Secret Diary, Simone attempts to grow musically perhaps, and takes a step forward in his writing skills by adding more “color” to the overall “soundscape.”

It’s no secret that Simone and guest keyboardist Andrea De Paoli are good friends, as the two have done a few projects together. After a few listens of My Secret Diary, it would seem that perhaps some of De Paoli’s experience with “electronica” was folded into the mix of this CD, thereby creating the aforementioned “color.” For example, the album opener, “A Day In California,” opens with several buzzes and eclectic noises before turning into a mid-tempo rocker that Fiorletta is known and loved for on his solo debut.

Spacey openings aside, once Fiorletta unleashes his solo guitar lines, he is still as entertaining and captivating as he was on Parallel Worlds. Written words just can’t explain the amount of feel his solos have and how each and every one is just as original sounding as the prior solo. Towards the end of A Day In California, there's some entertaining guitar and keyboard play, and then the song ends with some spoken words piped through an effects box over a fading musical section … here again is another example of the “color” mentioned before.

“I Came Back” starts off in a similar, almost Allan Parsons-like fashion with spoken lines and keyboard/electronic patterns that lead into a vibrato-filled rocker … definitely a high point of this release. Ironically, this aptly titled song is mostly full of Simone playing from start to finish, as to solidify that he is indeed “back.” The track does contain a keyboard solo near the final measures. On the plus side, De Paoli is quite accomplished and oftentimes in these segments it's hard to determine if it's keyboards or perhaps a guitar synthesizer that is the end product.

Beyond the spacey intro, “To Fly Over The Rainbow” is another winner with plenty of multi-tracked Fiorletta guitar over a fluid, melodic mid-tempo rhythm. This track is also notable for the ending solo as it’s full of high-speed hammer-ons and some cool staccato picking that sounds guitar synthesized by nature. Another track with the same qualities is “Borderline.”

Unfortunately, on track four, “Welcome, Anita!,” color takes control of the reins and you’re introduced to a slower, more emotional tempo. The track spirals between the realms of being a ballad with touches of Smooth Jazz but which is thankfully induced with some inspiring guitar playing near the end. “Only Three Minutes To Dream” is ethnic in feel and full of acoustic guitar and brushes of flamenco.

Bottom line, this release isn’t as “driving” overall as compared to Parallel Worlds. Simone’s decision to add colorful supporting sounds throughout might lose the attention of some fans who are more bent on full lead guitar “destruction”. Nevertheless, there are many brilliant moments of guitar playing throughout that will inspire those Fiorletta fans that are patient. At the end of the day, though, when listeners feel the desire to listen to some “solo Simone Fiorletta,” they will most likely pull out Parallel Worlds first. This isn’t to say that My Secret Diary isn’t worthy of purchase, on the contrary, skip a buy on this one and you’ll miss plenty of moments of memorable, jaw-dropping guitar playing.

Line-Up:
Simone Fiorletta –Guitars, Production
Andrea De Paoli - Keyboards
Pasko - Bass
Tony Liotta – Drums & Percussion

To find out more about Simone Fiorletta visit his label’s web site at www.LionMusic.com or his official web site at www.SimoneFiorletta.it or lastly his MySpace page at www.MySpace.com/SimoneFiorletta.