'Silver Sands' by Badge & Talkalot

'Silver Sands' marks the latest full-length from Gilberto Caleffi under his long-running music moniker, Badge & Talkalot.

Renowned for his ever-evolving perspectives on soul music, the Italian DJ and producer has continually revelled in his ability to hone in on different aspects of the genre through each of his eclectic releases.  While 'Greatest Hints' in 2009 catered to more of his pop sensibilities, 'Spaghetti Blaster' opted to target the dance-floor through a project that shifted towards more up-tempo soul via a disco-leaning aesthetic. 

As part of the ongoing Badge & Talkalot journey, subsequent releases in 'Fragments of the Soul' (2020) and 'The Gap' (2023) ushered in more of a neo-soul soundscape with edgier street soul at the core of the projects.  Even Caleffi's hip-hop-inspired alter ego BANDT offered up a further engaging dimension to his music by embracing his affections for the genre through the album 'PERIOD.' released last year - a project bolstered by the inclusion of underground heroes MED, Blu and Guilty Simpson who delivered strong contributions to Caleffi's golden age, boom bap-styled production.

'The Gap' in particular provides the perfect gateway to Caleffi's latest release - with sensational tracks like the Steven Bamidele-assisted 'To Call My Own' and 'Blue Notes' featuring vocalist JazzZ, 'The Gap' was demonstrative of Caleffi's all-round skill and showed off a perfect balance between varying facets of R&B and soul.

'Silver Sands' is very much the product of all the albums that came before it.  An album that embraces neo-soul at its heart and pushes that little further towards a more organic-sounding, blues-esque backdrop that generates some sublime results.

With Caleffi leading the helm, the project is supported by long-time collaborators in bassist Paolo Zoboli, guitarist Fabio Pancani and keyboardist Luca Bosi who provide lush canvases for the Badge & Talkalot lineage of securing incredible vocalists.  Another frequent collaborator in Ian Whitelaw guests on two of the album's tracks along with Kevin Mark Trail who helps reimagine Duran Duran's 1987 single 'Skin Trade'.  Kristen Merritt adds a dose of charm on the sweet and soulful 'Hideaway' while Denitia breathes scintillating life into 'I Wish You Would' and 'Starlight'.  As a frequent collaborator for Quantic and Sly5thAve, Denitia's unique and soulful slice of Americana unsurprisingly generates two sensationally high points for the album.

As the musical journey shows no signs of running out of steam for Badge & Talkalot, 'Silver Sands' will certainly be a project that listeners will return to as a standout release amongst Caleffi's catalogue.