Anthony Mandarano – Play It Tonight album review
- Dance Pop Folk Music Genres Pop
J. Simpson- 9 minutes read
Australian singer/songwriter/producer Anthony Mandarano’s Play It Tonight finds the sweet spot between slick club and the deeply personal.
Pop music requires a specific alchemy. It needs to be slick and polished enough to make you want to throw it on your headphones, your roadtrip mixtapes, your Saturday night playlist. If it’s too polished, it can become forgettable, just another shiny product off the rack, its shiny surface nearly impenetrable, with its heart and soul buried beneath a glossy cinematic sheen.
The best pop musicians know how to balance catchiness and craft with something unique and personal; something entirely them. On Play It Tonight, Australian singer/songwriter/producer Anthony Mandarano is off to a great start. Mandarano’s debut album glistens and glows with personality and genuine heart while still sounding bright and fresh enough to carry you away from all your cares.
Mandanaro never set out to be a pop musician, initially. Like so much art of the first half of the 2020’s, Play It Tonight was initially born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mandarano and his family are located in Melbourne, Australia, which had some of the harshest pandemic lockdowns of anywhere on Earth. He wrote his first song, “Smile Betty,” to help his father, the guitarist John Mandarano, cope with Anthony’s mother suffering from COVID-19 for months. The single gave father and son alike a new drive in life and Anthony’s solo career was born.
The 11 tracks on Play It Tonight were originally released as singles over the span of four years, with each track exploring a different style or emotion. Mandarano explores an impressive array of different genres in 39 minutes, from bright, infectious folk to sentimental ballads to pristine dance pop. If you’re into pop music of any variety, you’re going to hear something you like on Play It Tonight.
While Mandanaro’s solo debut is undoubtedly a singular labor of love, Play It Tonight is also a family affair. Three of the songs feature guitar from his father, the bright bouncy strum of album opener “Moving On,” with its story of fresh starts and new beginnings; “Valentine’s Day”; and “Save the Last Dance for Me,” Anthony’s take on the old standard, revered by everyone from Dolly Parton to Michael Buble. Not only do John’s guitars add some much-appreciated epicness, like on “This is the Life,” sounding like a sweeter, more life-affirming update of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.”
The clubby dance pop is where Mandarano really shines, though. Beginning with “Starting Fresh,” Anthony’s warm, inviting vocals soar and crest over an impressive array of different kinds of club beats. There’s definitely a tendency towards steady-thumping 4/4 beats, begging to be blasted through powerful club systems, but he’s not afraid to get funky and more experimental, like the tasty 2-step of “Touch Me” or the loopy breakbeat of “Into the Night,” which sounds like Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by way of the Chemical Brothers. Spend some extra time with that one, as there’s some clever sound design and vocal effects going on in the periphery.
Even when he’s being experimental, Mandarano remains focused on accessibility. Even when the beats seem intent on shaking themselves to pieces, the tracks still feature addictive, undeniable builds and breaks and heady, epic trance synths, reminiscent of early club pop crossovers like Underworld. In a just world, Anthony Mandarano will get every bit as big.
Play It Tonight is being released on October 9 to celebrate Anthony’s birthday. Wish him a happy birthday by giving “Birthday Song” a spin!
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