Grey Over An Autumn Winter, the first solo album from longtime Rooks regular Michael Mazzarella, could be considered something of a sleeper, not only in a figurative sense, but in a literal one as well. For starters, the Rooks are, for all intents and purposes, Mazzarella’s band; it’s been the manifestation of his musical vision and the purveyor of his songs ever since the group’s launch a dozen or so years ago. So any attempt to distinguish his individual album from a collective endeavor only serves to further blur the boundaries. However, sleeper is also an apt description of the album’s narcoleptic sound; infused with the wistful melancholia implied in the album title, Grey Over An Autumn Winter creates a kind of aural haze manifest in dewy-eyed sentiment and a dreamy lilt. Confining his accompaniment primarily to piano and softly strummed acoustic guitars, Mazzarella’s plaintive vocals and billowing harmonies add a mournful quality to these tentative open-ended melodies and tepid ruminations. There are occasional moments where Mazzarella musters more enthusiasm - the jaunty, Beatlesque “The Colder It Gets The Deeper We Fall,” the gentle sway of “A Life In The Day Of A Man” and the soothing, beguiling title track in particular - but overall this is an album best suited to quiet contemplation and aimless nocturnal musings.
~ Lee Zimmerman
