THE STATIC DIVE
At center stage is the soul man himself. Recalling the heartbroken vibrato tenor of icons like Otis Redding and Bill Withers, Brian Scartocci croons tales of love, loss and introspection. He searches for peace of mind on beautiful and melancholy tracks like “Lady Mercy ” and the cinematic “Slow Your Roll”, and revels in the fun of funky love songs on “Sweet Funky Nonsense”. The album closer “99 Degrees’ ‘ is a real highpoint, injecting some rock & roll vibes into this smooth soul collection.
VOYAGE SAN ANTONIO
"If a singer does it right, their audience can feel the truth in them. I’m having the time of my life onstage, performing..in the studio, recording, but it’s an exorcism of all the trouble it took to get up there and I think people can feel that. I can list off struggles one by one, but they’re not exclusive to me. All of us have our own. A lot of them I’ve made for myself. If you still see me, if I’m still around if my presence is still felt then know that struggles weren’t enough to hold me down. I’m still getting mine in spite of all of them."
KRANNAKEN
From the outset, Just Peachy reminds me of The Drifters’ Under the Broadwalk. It uses a similar rhythm with good use of strings. I also appreciate the bass guitar and the clever vocals that accompany it. Just Peachy would be a great live experience too. You can picture the electric atmosphere that this song would induce on a big crowd.
SHUFFLE ONLINE
A singer/songwriter based in our own home of Austin, Brian is what many call a "retro-soul phenomenon," gracing ears with his warm, inviting melodies that leave you wanting more. Having been a frontman for several bands over the years, Brian has now returned to his passion as a solo artist and is making waves.
THE HILL COUNTRY STANDARD
The velvet-wearing singer gracefully rocks back and forth, like a giant condo crane with neon letters lifting blocks on South Congress Avenue. His purple handkerchief rising from his jacket pocket matches his almost buttoned collared shirt, long lapels draping over the soft velvet. He spins as the first song ends, black shoes shining like a boy just slapped them with a towel on main street. Sam Cooke rings out from his vocal cords on the second number. “Give me time, give me time,” he sings as his hands reach for the sky like a character from Glee.
BEACHSLOTH
An absolutely joyous experience, Brian Scartocci pours his whole heart into “Soul Shakedown.” The instruments used throughout draw nicely from the 60s in the best way possible. Rhythms feature a taut distinctive edge about them. Sounding as if this came from many decades ago is a pure delight and the attention to production is stellar. Best of all his vocals match flawlessly with these well-realized arrangements. Everything here feels carefully considered to give it a living, breathing quality about it. One can virtually hear each detail perfectly accentuating the importance of every gesture. Lyrically it does appear to capture the romanticism of soul’s most classic era.
THE HOUSE THAT SOUL BUILT
Scartocci’s original material is a much better illustration of his talents. From the chord progressions, guitar work, and vocal arrangements, his latest single ‘Trust In Love’ owes heavily to the pop-soul material of Sam Cooke – one of the key figures to breakthrough from the world of gospel into the realm of secular, popular music. In Scartocci’s words, the tune ‘[reminds] the listener to curb their jealous tendencies and “trust in love.“‘
EAST SIDE MAGAZINE
Gracing the stage at the beginning of every week with his vibrant energy and retro soul tunes is Brian Scartocci, or Mr. Monday Night as he’s known at the lounge. “Mondays are my favorite night of the week,” he smiles. A New Jersey native, Brian remembers being captured by soul music as a kid. He was so drawn to the harmonic tunes and fervent notes of soul that he even broke his parent’s record player one time trying to play The Drifters’ Golden Hits.
ROCK THE PIGEON
Brian Scartocci’s voice is that of an angel, reminding listeners of oldies classics like Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, and Otis Redding. “Days of Glory” perfectly captures all the elements that it takes to create the sound of a remarkable soul hit. From the start of the song, it’s contagious and already feeling classic. “Days of Glory” is a song that cannot be easily forgotten. This genre is timeless and should be appreciated by all music lovers. This is a sound that is too good to ever die and Brian Scartocci is one of the few musicians that is keeping this sound and spirit alive.
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