When you are real in your music, people know it and they feel your authenticity. 

- Wynonna Judd

au· then· tic· i· ty: the quality of being  authentic : the quality of being authoritative, valid, true, real, or genuine. 

- Merriam-Webster

I’ve been blessed with an abundance of music in my life. Having grown up in a household that prized music, my exposure was vast, my thirst virtually unquenchable. While my work as a historian, archivist, author and reissue producer has primarily been in the traditional and jazz vocal arena I’ve long been a fan of pretty much every genre, from classical and world music to folk, country, pop, blues and rhythm & soul. Don’t let my reputation as a Sinatraphile and Beach Boys fanatic fool you. For many years I was particularly attracted to rock: early rockabilly, progressive and hard rock. As a child of the 70s, I was heavily immersed in the extraordinary sounds of Yes, Led Zeppelin, Simon and Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Beatles, Santana, The Police, Chicago, Boston, Kansas, Styx, Cat Stevens, Joan Jett, Billy Joel, Bob Seeger, Fleetwood Mac, U2, Paul McCartney & Wings and more. I revisit these artists and bands often, basking in the surge of warm memories favored records bring.

I’ve got to confess that I don’t often listen to “new” music. My work, and the time I spend producing my weekly radio program, takes an enormous amount of time and energy. But I was excited when my friend and colleague Michael P. Rovatsos sent me the tracks for this new album, Chapters. Without knowing much about Michael’s writing or his “band,” the first listen felt comfortable and familiar. By the end of that first session, it struck me: within these tracks, I was – in an oblique yet palpable way – reliving my own life. My musical life, from childhood to present. The songs spoke to me in a way very few have in years. It’s not hyperbole to say that Chapters quickly became one of my favorite albums. I’m captivated by its musical diversity, sophisticated writing, exceptional musicality and meticulous production.

Naturally, I expressed my pleasure to Michael, telling him how impressed I was by the fresh sound he and his cohorts achieved. To say I was delighted when he asked me to contribute a few words to preface his notes is an understatement! I’m a fan, you see. It’s a fantastic and timely record, and it’s my distinct pleasure to offer some thoughts about it here.

What makes Chapters so noteworthy, and why does it speak to me?

This program has all the hallmarks of a momentous album. It’s bright, snappy, emotional and slightly reminiscent of another era: a period in American music when craft overshadowed profit, and quality mattered. The recording quality is top-notch, and projects a brilliant sense of motion (a characteristic enhanced by the album’s innovative mixing, which emphasizes movement and depth). The soundstage is remarkable – the result of immaculate attention to detail. Most of all, the styles and artists that influenced these songs – and Michael as a writer, musician and producer - are clear, without being forced. These songs aren’t “typical” or “formulaic” - they’re different. Meaningful and authentic.

“Some songs arrive like lightning,” Rovatsos contends. “Others spend twenty years knocking on the same door before you finally let them in.” I’ve found this to be true for any songwriter, regardless of output, fame, experience or success. Ervin Drake, who penned the Frank Sinatra classic “It Was A Very Good Year,” off-handedly made a note for a song in a small notebook one day. When The Kingston Trio asked him for a new folk song, he went back to his hastily scribbled idea and within a few hours had the both the words and music notated like a finely tuned play. Billy Joel’s producer, Phil Ramone, once explained to me the struggles Billy had with birthing “And So It Goes.” It took many weeks – and numerous excursions in the studio – before it fell into place and stood on its own. 

Songwriting is like writing poetry: it involves theme, purpose, painstaking word selection, sometimes rhyme and always rhythm. With songs, the melodic component adds an extra dimension to the creative process, and the tune’s emotional complexity. The best songs are deeply personal: filled with a sensitivity or exuberance designed to move the listener in a very specific way. Songs that compel repeated listening are unpretentious and sincere, their authenticity predicated on the degree to which the composer chooses to unmask their most private ruminations: the thoughts, secrets, desires and regrets that mark their life and relationships. Make no mistake: Rovatsos is a rare songwriter who wears his authenticity on his sleeve.

Lives are, by nature, filled with contradictions. But, while it’s a musical memoir there’s nothing contradictory or ambiguous about this album, which brims with truth. What Michael has wrought with Chapters is the epitome of veracity and a modern, reflective take on the golden era of albums that tell a story: his story, which he beautifully sums up, song by song,  in his ‘Chapter Notes’ (which are, in my estimation, not just a fascinating read but a deep insight into Michael’s creative soul). It’s a story overflowing with friends and acquaintances, licks and phrases reflecting his eclectic musical influences, and the fingerprints of heroes and villains one meets during a lifetime. The kind of people one scrupulously chooses to help interpret one’s truth. 

Among the most distinctive fingerprints are two ultra-cool, hip and supremely talented artists: Grammy® -winning singer-songwriter Billy Vera and singer-comedian Billy Mira, whose lead vocals are strong and authoritative. But Vera and Mira are just the beginning; a host of other well-chosen, supremely talented musicians deliver a plethora of color and texture to the music. Vocalists Joel Crisp, Shawn Brady, Joe Hier, Scott Spick, Samuel Donovan, Kathleen Delaney and Michele Lundeen are all superbly expressive voices who lend contrast and emotionality to each song. 

Instrumentally, Rovastsos’s acoustic guitar work is formidable. His electric guitar is sturdy and capable playing distinct rhythm parts and tasty arpeggios. He even takes a guitar solo (on “Thinking”) that was inspired by Paul McCartney’s "Band On The Run." He plays bass guitar, piano, organ, synthesizer and percussion and also sings background vocals on most tracks. He thanks his extensive list of talented friends in the credits of each song and encourages you to read all about them there and in ‘Thank You’ section on this site. 

This aggregation - in varying incarnations from track-to-track - is dynamic, tight and solid, capturing the subtle nuance of every style and genre with confident ease. The chapters in this musical biography aren’t ordinary personal reflections. They’re fun, exciting and bold; honest, tender and heartbreaking. They have a soul. They touch a panoply of musical forms and blend them seamlessly. Their lyrical and melodic essences are irresistible and make you feel like you’re spending time with some great friends from the past. “My influences have always refused to stay in one lane,” Rovatsos explains. “Folk, rock and roll, blues, country, soul, jazz, the beautiful noise in between – I’ve borrowed from it all and hopefully left enough of myself behind to make it mine.” 

Every single song on Chapters is a standout. Yet, while an integral part of the overall tale, each stands on its own as an individual gem commanding attention. Musically sound and lyrically interesting, they are – above all – evocative. 

“Love Ain’t Leavin” and “Hop, Skip and Jump (Around the Corner)” would have been right at home - and in heavy rotation - on Top 40 radio in the mid-1970s (I wish Quincy Jones was still with us so I could play “Hop, Skip and Jump” for him – I know he’d dig it!). I hear these two songs and imagine my fourteen year-old self cruising the neighborhood in my hometown of Bloomfield, New Jersey, listening to them on the AM radio clamped to the handlebars of my Schwinn. 

“Waiting” – with its propulsive urgency – has a pure‘80s power-ballad feel but somehow does not sound dated. "Prelude/If You Could See” – with its clever sound effects, jaunty rhythm and smart trombone lines conveys mystery – and perhaps – hints at the stranger hiding within each of us. Heck, there’s even a theremin player on the track?! Who dares to employ a theramin today? Rovatsos does, in a way that would make Brian Wilson proud! “Galaxy Baby” (co-written with Joel Crisp, who’s also on lead vocal) is at once soulful and funky, with a hint of David Bowie peeking out for fun. “This New Math” –Michael’s acknowledged nod to Sir Paul – is deeply metaphorical and features an irresistible lead vocal by Shawn Brady and a bouncy, layered arrangement. “Full Out” is an all-out funk-fest with Karel Ruzicka’s blistering sax floating over Chris Johnson’s Hammond organ and Ben Bocardo’s driving bass.

I can close my eyes and picture the sophisticated, whimsical “Dusk to Dawn,” (which combines two pieces into one solid presentation) effortlessly mixed in with any number of Henry Mancini tunes that were ubiquitous on jazz radio in the 1960s and ’70s (with again another special nod to Karel Ruzicka, this time on flute). “Start Anew” (lead vocal by co-writer Joe Hier) is personified with his floating melody and vulnerable lyrics. His delivery is subtle and powerful all at once.

Somehow, the opening of “Thinking” – makes me think of The Eagles. But the feel takes a surprising turn with the clavichord and I find Scott Spick’s beautiful vocal lines playing repeatedly in my head. “817” – my favorite cut on the album –is so emotionally-centered and gorgeously executed that it’s obvious from the start that it’s deeply personal (a fact confirmed by Michael in his notes). The combination of Michael’s warm, moving acoustic guitar and Piatt Pund’s plaintive violin is sheer perfection.

“Sometime” – with its flawless arrangement and gorgeous vocal by Samuel Donovan and Kathleen Delaney – is as heart-tugging as any singer-songwriter ballad I’ve ever heard. And, that cello –courtesy of Chris Johnson…! “You’re Better Than That” has a big country rock sound. Michael describes this as a “second shot” at a song he originally wasn’t happy with. A new title (courtesy of his wife, Jill), some solid guitar riffs played by Michael and Chris Demcak and a lead vocal by Samuel Donovan transformed the tune, and I’m thankful for its inclusion. As Michael explains, “Some songs aren’t written. They’re rewritten.” The album ends with another of my favorites: a solid, danceable blues song called “Still I Want More.” This one’s a throwback to the days of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, replete with some full-sounding trumpet, trombone and sax parts (played by Andy Geib and Mario Jativa, who handles the stunning sax solo) and a bluesy Hammond B3 by Doug Kvandal. The horn arrangement was expertly written by…Michael himself.

Oh – there’s one more: a cheerful “bonus” track titled “Sunshine in My Day.” The recording features Rovatsos on his only lead vocal endeavor. He felt he just had to step up to the mic if his kids, A & Z, were gonna be on the background vocals. And, Scott Spick returns (this time on trumpet and piano). The birds chirping were recorded outside his home and the family is finger-snapping the whole way through. If I were doing a blindfold test and someone asked me who the artist was, I’d say,“Keb ‘Mo.” That’s how wonderful this performance is.

I’m certain you’ll enjoy and appreciate Chapters as much as I do. It’s spirited, refreshing and lasting. It’s tangible proof that good music is still being written, performed and recorded. And it’s an extraordinarily happy record! To paraphrase the incomparable Irving Berlin, “These melodies will linger on.”

- Charles L. “Chuck” Granata

Charles L. “Chuck” Granata is a music historian and archivist, record producer and the host of the weekly program Sinatra Standard Time on KSDS-FM, San Diego. He’s the author of several acclaimed books, including the award-winning Sessions with Sinatra: Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording(1999) and Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music (with legendary record producer Phil Ramone, 2007).