Here's
some quotes:
'Over-dressed , preening,
cabaret divas'
"Rarely have
I witnessed such an unashamed and blatant perversion of the so- called ‘World
Music’ genre on an English Festival stage. The whole show rode rough-shod and
bareback over some of the finest tunes in the popular canon. From my carefully
chosen vantage point in the Festival Beer tent, Ruff Aunty (sic) sounded like
nothing better than a collection of bongo –bashing clockwork monkeys , crooning
Nancy Boys and over-dressed , preening cabaret divas. God only knows what
inspires the almost religious devotion so openly displayed by their dedicated
legion of (I fear, sadly misguided) fans". - Raymond Trabb, Dyed
Roots
'Every
Song is Priceless'
"As a radio
presenter I get inundated with new music. It’s a double edged sword. I’ll often
sit listening to some cacophony wondering who in their right mind thought this
noise was in anyway listenable. Thankfully I also receive some gems. Allegro
Vanden Plas is just such a gem. And then some. Orchestra Ruffanti are a group of
14 musicians as diverse as they are talented.
With a host
of original songs plus covers ranging from Gloria Jones to The Blockheads to
Brigitte Bardot to T-Rex to Edith Piaf, Allegro Vanden Plas is an amazing
soundtrack to the summer. And don’t let the word covers put you off. Any band
that can stamp their own mark on a cover are always worth a listen. Take opening
track Tainted Love. Originally performed by Gloria Jones it is now synonymous
with Soft Cell but Ruffanti have reinvented it as a smoky back room latin-jazz
classic.
In an ideal
world the afternoon would be spent in a garden, eating and drinking, with the
sun shining, accompanied by Orchestre Ruffanti. Not with a barbecue and a six
pack but in the garden of a stately home, eating triangular shaped sandwiches
and drinking pimms. The night would end with the group playing in an exclusive
back street bar with a 1950s dress code, a liberal attitude to smoking and where
dancing is compulsory.
I can’t
recommend this album highly enough. Every song is priceless though I will say
These Moods could be the most beautiful song ever written". - Simon Saynor, SINE
FM
