Scott Celani
Saturday
Let’s get it out of the way: singer/songwriter Scott Celani is not John Mayer. Nor is he trying to be Mayer. Unfortunately, every young male with an acoustic guitar and a sensitive voice is going to be compared to Mayer, as if he had invented the genre. Although not as well known, Celani is becoming an established figure on Buffalo’s music scene.
Frankly, Celani has a more masculine vocal style; there’s lung power underneath the hood, especially on “Long Road to Nowhere,” wherein his vocals capture the rising emotions of the chorus. Some of the tracks on the album find Celani nursing a broken heart; however, the lyrics find him refusing to succumb to depression. Celani’s soaring voice references the ’70s, back in the days when male singers were encouraged to rip it up and not reign it in.
“Smile While You’re Crying” and “In Spite of Me” are even better, with their singalong choruses and sharp production. This album doesn’t sound like an independent release, which may cause problems acquiring airplay on college radio, because Celani is obviously aiming for a larger audience here. The sunny and romantic title track moves at a brisk pace and brings Celani closer to ’80s AOR territory than the Triple-A focus of Mayer and his imitators.
Mayer who?
Scott Celani: http://www.scottcelani.com
