It's not simple to write reviews of the music of friends. It is too easy to not say what you really think because you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. And music, after all, is a subjective thing…

But with Davide Facchini's Juley CD there is no problem: I like this music! As I sit down and begin to listen to Juley, I get more and more relaxed. The music is good! …Some of it is wonderfully good! Some of the tunes I like more than others, of course. Some of the tracks I love.

Here are my favorites:

La Danza di Anita is a Facchini composition and it sparkles with good energy!

And I love the way the harmonics are woven into the melody!

Marcetta di Papà is played with the legendary Italian guitarist Raf Montrasio on mandolin, (guitarist of the well appreciated Renato Carosone's sextet in the ‘50s) here in his 70s but still cooking! This simple piece sounds fantastic.

Hotel Tunisi is a tune of Davide's with a beautiful melody and exquisite phrasing that is certainly one the reasons God made acoustic guitars…!

How high the moon, again with Raf Montrasio on electric guitar. This is a terrific recording and presents a wonderful duet of two friends who obviously enjoy each other's company and talents. Thank you Raf, for coming out of retirement to give the world your joyous sound again! Thank you Davide, for making Raf comfortable enough (musically and otherwise) to do this!

Luna is another Facchini's tune with a simple, pretty melody and elegant phrasing…

The title tune – Juley – which closes the CD's 10 tracks. Davide has chosen this word from the region which is the border between India and Tibet. "Juley" means Hello/Goodbye and also Please/Thanks. I like both the idea of the word and the idea of making a tune out of it. And I like the tune!

There are other tracks on this CD and I like them also, but these ones listed above are my favourites. Overall, the sound is very good. Pure, warm and sparkling guitar tone are a feature of this first solo recording of Davide's. There is no processed guitar sound here, it's all natural and beautiful.

With Davide Facchini's Juley, I know that the future of fingerstyle guitar in Italy is alive and well!
Stephen Bennett (www.harpguitar.com)