Fred Bongusto
Alfredo Antonio Carlo Bongusto

The album is "Alfredo Antonio Carlo Bongusto", a title taken from the real name of the singer originally from Molise, Fred Bongusto. Bongusto is also an easy listening singer, who, like his colleagues Pericoli, Martino, Arigliano, and a few others, is inspired by the American crooner model.

This 1972 album by Bongusto is a light music album, simple, starting with a song signed by the duo Califano - Bongusto, "Questo Nostro Grande Amore", a love song suitable for the period, a fairly nice piece that opens the album well. Another song written by Bongusto this time, with Alberto Testa, "Roma 6", a singer-songwriter piece praising the capital of Italy, and nothing more. The album continues with another seventies love song, "Non è Un Capriccio D'Agosto", a very beautiful and sentimental song, suitable for Bongusto's voice. It's time for two more songs written by Bongusto, with Franco Califano, "Ti Amo E Poi... (Not Very Far From The Star)" and "Mezzaluna E Gli Occhi Tuoi". The first is another love song, with a long and beautiful introduction, then interpreted by Bongusto, the first part in English, and the second in Italian, the song is nice but not too surprising. While the second is a more peculiar song, more swing and a bit country, in my opinion the best on side A. Side A is closed by a cover of a beautiful song signed by the extraordinary duo Calabrese - Bindi (written in 1972), "Invece No", masterfully interpreted by Bongusto, I correct myself, this is the best song on side A, worth the whole album!!! Bindi and Calabrese are two giants of Italian music, forgotten over time!

Side B opens with a very beautiful song, taken from the discography of one of the jazz kings, "(We Have) All The Time In The World" by Louis Armstrong, beautiful version by Bongusto, more pop and light than the original, even if well interpreted in English. After a really meager taste of jazz, it's the turn of one of the many ballads by Bongusto, again signed by Califano and Bongusto himself, "Dormi Serena", a song with Latin hues, quite nice, even if they could have dared more. Here is a song written only by Bongusto, "O Primmo Treno...", a song in Neapolitan dialect, nice and very sentimental, but unsuitable for the record. We start again with "Quando" cover, of a popular song from the beginning of Luigi Tenco's career, written by Tenco himself, in my opinion, one of the least beautiful by Tenco, who has written masterpieces, here well interpreted by Bongusto. Now, "Marenariello" is proposed, another song in Neapolitan, unsuitable like the previous song in dialect. The album continues with a song signed by the now well-established Bongusto - Califano, "Piangi Amore Mio", a song at the first listen a bit particular, where Bongusto dares, and I like it that way, excellent and very beautiful this Pop song, perhaps the best on side B. The album closes with a song in English, practically a tribute written by Bongusto himself, towards Frank Sinatra, in fact, it is titled, "La Canzone Di Frank Sinatra", a beautiful song, with a crooner style, that closes very well an album with ups and downs.

In my opinion, this is not one of Bongusto's best albums, in fact, he could have dared more, but I prize the album for the many facets it presents, in fact, I imagine that with this album he wanted to represent a bit the musical character, moving from light music to jazz, to singer-songwriter music, and Neapolitan song.