Nino Moschella

The last few years have been an absolute rollercoaster ride of dream tour dates and incredibly influential musical encounters for Cali-based funk rocker Nino Moschella, and the fruits of those inspired experiences play out exquisitely on sophomore set Boomshadow. Moschella's massive aural assault kicks off from the very first break of opener "Begin," a heavy guitar/drum/horn attack that cuts out mid-groove, as the filthy, off-kilter funk of "Sleep" steps in and gives exposure to the musician's prime falsetto. From there, the sonic references run thick like hot syrup. Prince's classic synthesized flare is revitalized on throwback cut "Something Like?," right next to the new millennium PM Dawn-flavoured vocal breakdown of "Stella," though those are both drastic departures from the Omar Rodriguez Lopez-type sound avalanche of the raucous "New Orleans." Add to these winding travels Moschella's own advanced soul pedigree, top it off with a touch of acoustic blues ("What U Do 2 Me") and you'll only be scratching the surface of this mighty contribution.