Bianca Rossini: "I've Been Alone" (2025) CD Review

Bianca Rossini is a vocalist and composer who was born in Rio de Janeiro, and now is based in Los Angeles. She has released several albums over the last fifteen years, including 2011's Kiss Of  Brasil, 2017's Vento Do Norte, and 2023's Apaixonada. Her new album, I've Been Alone, contains all original material, tackling themes of pain, betrayal and resilience. Joining her on this release are Ricardo Rito on piano; Peter Roberts on guitar, keyboards, percussion, and strings (Peter Roberts also co-produced and mixed the album); Sezin Turkmenoglu on bass; and Elberton Paixão on drums and percussion.

I've Been Alone opens with its title track, which begins with some pretty work on piano that contains a wistful air before Bianca Rossini comes in on vocals. "I've been alone/Playing like I wasn't/I've been alone/Hiding all my tears/There was a ghost/Telling me he loved me/But there was no one." She delivers a captivating performance that pulls us into the world of this song. Eliezer Alves did the string arrangement for this track. "I Have Waited Like A Fool" also features some good work on piano at the start. Luiz Otavio joins her on piano on this track. "I have waited like a fool/I have waited with hope by my side/While you lied and lied/I've been blind." I like the way she plays with the word "fool," holding onto it. And it's interesting that hope is by her side, rather than within her, giving us a somewhat different impression, a different feeling. She repeats the line, "My heart cried for you," giving us the sense that her pain lasted some time. This song feels like it could have been the theme to a movie from the early 1980s, it has that kind of vibe. She ends it by returning to the title line, "I have waited like a fool," this time delivering that final word in a more straightforward manner.

Bianca Rossini then switches gears with "Cry, Cry, Cry," this one having a more lively and swinging vibe, with finger snaps. "For so long I held back/For so long I couldn't cry/For so long my life was hell/For so long, I just survived." And she sings of how now she is able to get release, to cry, to keep from holding back, and the song itself is a way of venting that pain, and of taking control of her life again. We have no doubt that she is back in charge. The music makes that clear, as does the power in her vocal delivery. This is one of my personal favorites. It is followed by "Early Morning," which has a delicious rock vibe, and features some really good work on guitar. Bianca Rossini gets playful here in her vocal delivery, adding to the immense appeal of this song. It is, for me, another of the disc's highlights. "Early morning or before bed/You have magic fingers/She comes on your screen/She plays with your head/With no regrets." Yes, it's a modern sort of relationship, if it can be called a relationship. "You are under her spell/All she does is tease you/Early morning or before bed." Ah, whatever makes you happy, right?

"Do You Remember?" begins with some nice work on piano, with a nostalgic air about it. We are already cast into memory before Bianca asks, in the first lines, "Do you remember/Driving in your flashy red car/Acting like a movie star/With a pretty girl next to you." The music takes us back to an earlier time, when perhaps we all could imagine ourselves in these situations. For there is a sort of dream-like atmosphere, and by listening we all have access to this world. That's followed by "We Made A Promise," which has a strong pop vibe as it begins. This is an encouraging, positive number. "Today is where you are/The past is left behind/The stars are aligned tonight." It ends with the line, "Together we can really shine," and she repeats it for emphasis. I appreciate the optimism of it. Then in "Wake Up," she tells us, "Wake up before it's over/Wake up before it's all over." Life is so brief, it will all be over all too soon. But this song has a bright, positive sound, making us feel that we can turn things around, just as the previous song encouraged us. "Today is all you have/Don't waste it away," she tells us. Yes, it could end at any moment, and that is why I am completely baffled by the ways that many people choose to use the little time they have. Don't you want to yell at them, Wake up and make better use of your time. This is another of my personal favorite tracks.

"Greatest Love" opens with some gentle, beautiful piano work, supported by good stuff on bass. And this track features a passionate vocal performance. "There was music in the air," she sings, describing that moment the two met. And that's it, really. Music is a part of those magical moments, and helps us relive them. Music is the thing that keeps us all going. "I loved you from the start/I loved you from the start." Ah yes, and the strings certainly help. Then "Release Me" has a kind of pleasant country vibe. "Where have I been/I don't know/Why did I believe/You were the one." And the lines "Our ship has sailed away/I'm all alone" remind us of the album's first track. The album then concludes with "Christmas Night." Eduardo Ferreira delivers the wonderful piano introduction to this song, which has a classic, timeless feel. This is a gorgeous, romantic, uplifting love song. "You made me feel loved like never before." There is a delightful dreamlike quality to this song, like a fairy tale. Things change in the middle, and Bianca sings, "I was no longer your dream." But that magical feeling somehow remains, or at least its sound does. "I felt so much longing/So much confusion/The truth was never told/I questioned my sanity." Ah yes, that makes sense when reality presents itself as something very different from the dream you had walked within. By the way, this is not a Christmas song in the traditional sense. Though it takes place partially on Christmas, this song can be played throughout the year.

CD Track List

1. I've Been Alone
2. I Have Waited Like A Fool
3. Cry, Cry, Cry
4. Early Morning
5. Do You Remember?
6. We Made A Promise
7. Wake Up
8. Greatest Love
9. Release Me
10. Christmas Night

I've Been Alone was released on March 5, 2025.