FLORENCE 99 – Florence 99 [CD Remastered Reissue 2022] *Exclusive*

As requested, here’s the recent remastered reissue of Italians FLORENCE 99 self-titled album from 1990, for decades much sought by collectors and highly-priced at auction sites. FLORENCE 99 was founded by renowned ’80s session musician Manu Manzani who put his guitar and arrangements on many Italian rock&pop albums / artists.

All started when Manzani arrived to America in the late Eighties to work as arranger for Gene Simmons label / publishing agency artists. The guitarist fell in love with the US melodic hard rock / pop metal sound and started FLORENCE 99 when he met Jay Wood, a blond singer of Swedish origin with the looks very similar to Mike Tramp of White Lion – in Manzani’s mind the ideal frontman for the project. However Wood’s voice is much more clean and melodic with an AOR / pop-rock color.
The duo recruited Andy Corsello on bass & backing vocals and the band was complete, with Manzani handling the keyboards / synths himself, something he wanted for the band’s Melodic Rock / AOR style.

With session drummer Joe Put behind the kit, FLORENCE 99 recorded “Florence 99” early 1990, with the album being released in the second half of that year.
This is fluffy Lite AOR / melodic rock / rock&pop with cool parping synths, Van Halen-esque guitar work, clean vocals / multi-part harmonies and catchy choruses. Very well produced & mixed, among their originals FLORENCE 99 does a rocking version of Italian classic song ‘Gloria’ with English lyrics, previously made famous world-wide by Laura Branigan.
(Thanks to Giorgio for the rip)
Highly Recommended

You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox

01 – Rock ‘N’ Roll (I Feel So)
02 – Gimme Money
03 – Bloody Mission
04 – Stones And Stars (And Guitars)
05 – Gloria
06 – Gotta Gotta Love
07 – What About
08 – Don’t You Tease Me, Girl
09 – Monkey Lady

Jay Wood – lead vocals, background vocals
Manu Manzani – guitars, keyboards, background vocals
Andy Corsello – bass, background vocals
Joe Metti – drums

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