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This album is packed with spirit that cannot be constrained by a few rating stars. While the sound recording is slightly anemic, the SOUND of this group resonates in a way that gives it power and appeal beyond the production. I discovered the group at a world music fest in California (and they are indeed best heard live), but when I listen to the CD, the music tracks take me directly back to flying along the autostrada in Northern Italy, where I had a fantastic time. When I feel like smiling, soaring and gliding freely, this is the CD. The music also has such affinity to the Celtic roots of Galicia that a composer friend there first thought the dialectic songs were Galician. This CD rapidly became my favorite for travel and it always and instantly appeals to my friends, getting more requests and compliments than any other. I've given several as gifts (I keep having to come get a replacement, like now) and they compliment them even more later. So while I agree with two of the three previous reviews about the recording quality, I have to give it all the stars for the tremendous lift of spirit it brings ... after all that's what music is about, not the medium.

Fiamma Fumana is one powerful, striking group of women. These women combine modern sensiblities with the shifting and powerful sounds of traditional Italian music. Their sound can verge on an almost Galician or Asturian style of piping and whistle-playing as in Balla and on Voi Tor Mari they possess a minor-key style that sounds quite Scandinavian. The singing is brassy, moving and possessed of the same slightly off-key sound as Varttina (minus the polyphonic aspect of some of that group's singing). The electronic trickery is restrained and only enhances Fiamma Fumana's sound, rather than drowning it in electro-shlock. I would recommend this CD for someone who does not like the washed-out pap that passes for "world music" in many circles.

The second album from Italian group Fiamma Fumana features much of what made their debut album 1.0 distinct and interesting, but without the same results; whereas that first disc was fun, accessible and contained infectious musical dance grooves, Home relies more on traditional folk tunes and rarely hits the highs of 1.0 in terms of accessibility.
That is not to say the album is a total bomb -- there are great tracks here, namely Balla!, Maridem, A Voi Tor Mari, and Oasis, all of which evoke the best moments of FF's unique sound. But there are duds as well.
Another problem the disc faces is that although they are a real "band" now -- with the additions of "Lady J" Lombardi on pipes and bass and Medhin Paolos on the electronica to Alberto Cottica (accordions, acoustic guitar, piano, vocals) and Fiamma (vocals) -- the sound is weaker than the first album, due mostly to the absence of fiddles and teeny sounding effects. The electronica sounds like it was created on an old Casio keyboard, like the one's you would get for Christmas when you were a kid.
The production is also lacking -- the sound is not integrated overall as on the first album and sounds like it was recorded and mixed on someone's laptop in their living room -- oh wait, it was. (Read the liner notes!) This band is so good and needs a real studio to capture their full, layered folk/dance sound.
It may sound as if I am being hard on FF but after the first album it is obvious that this is the band's sophomore slump. Hopefully the next album will put FF back where they belong -- squarely in the midsts of the thumping groove of old world rhythms and modern dance beats layered behind Fiamma's wonderfully melodic singing that welded together so nicely on 1.0.

Think you know what Italian folk music sounds like? Even if you do, this CD will be a pleasant surprise. Fiamma Fumana blends the sounds of northern Italian folk music (which to unititiated ears can sound "Celtic," thanks in part to the influence of history and the re-Celticization of northern Italian music in the 1970s and 80s) with high-emergy alternative rock. The sound is like nothing you've heard before. Best cuts include "La Mondina," about the female rice-paddy workers in the Padana plain, which has the voices of actual workers interspersed with the lyrics; "Sangue Misto" (Mixed Blood), an ode to the peoples from all over Europe who have combined to become modern Italians; and the opening number, "Maridem," a super-high energy rendering of a traditional conversation between a mother and her daughter about her choice of marriage partners. I didn't care for the slow take on the Partisan's anthem, derived from another mondina protest song, "Bella Ciao," but perhaps other listeners will like it. Listen to this CD and blow your mind.

Compared to 1.0 and Onda, this one left me cold. Maybe it was a little too quiet and moody for my tastes... I wanted upbeat dance numbers, and this didn't deliver that.

In this, the band's sophomore outing, Fiamma Fumana takes on traditional tunes, arranged in their own, unique way, with (mostly) danceable rhythms, and a mix of electronic and traditional instruments: accordion, bagpipes, bass, guitar, theremin, and synths, with electronic rhythms. The music often has a feel that's reminiscent of Scottish and Irish reels. An interesting, distinctive sound.

As mentioned in the prior review of the album, the production is not as strong as it could be, particularly with regard to the vocals. That is especially noticeble if you've heard songs such as Pieta l'E Morta (Mercy is Dead) and Voi Tor Mari perfromed live. In concert, the former is a particularly impressive vocal showcase that definitely suffers from the relatively thin vocal mix on the CD.

Bella Caio, a simple, mournful ballad, is another exquisitely beautiful track.

Overall, I find the album quite enjoyable, though not as stunning as the material is in concert. The concert I just attended by this band brought this home. This is not a band to miss if they come to your town.

Also, the new songs they played sounded rhythmically deeper, and more sensual than anything they've recorded thus far. Look out for album #3!