I cannot remember any living songwriting collaborators who have brought me more pleasure than Georgia Mancio (lyrics) and Alan Broadbent (composer). It was a bright, Spring day in Stapleford, and one could bask in the rich, varied music. Working on different sides of the Atlantic, these award-winning songwriters have not worked together in duo for over a decade. The eager audience in the Granary were treated to an all-original programme of 13 songs.
The programme took off with a number from their new album, The Love I Left Behind, sung by Mancio in a blend of English and Italian. This was so expressive it left me misty eyed: I found it hard to read my initial notes. Nonetheless, if readers cannot wait for the album launch in May, this is now online as a single.
The next two songs were also from the new album. ‘Then And Now’ dealt with ‘time and tide’ in a gently impressive, ‘impression’ of nostalgic yearning for who we were. Broadbent’s gentle accompaniment showed how it’s done. Then, the samba ‘From Me To You’ evoked the earlier trans-Atlantic impact of Jobim in the 60s: it felt like the Girl from Ipanema had risen from the sunny sea, to salute Mancio’s British in-laws.
The next few numbers came from the earlier albums Quiet Is The Star and Songbook. The mood shifted for each one; for example, the playfulness of ‘Journey Home’ was juxtaposed with the anticipatory grief of ‘When You Are Gone From Me’. In a whimsical aside, Mancio explained the origin of ‘Forever’ as the “revenge of the middle aged”!
When the show returned to A Story Left Untold, Broadbent’s piano skills shimmered in ‘A Lark’s Lament’, and Mancio’s lyrics for ‘Heart of Hearts’ (‘when rain falls from every sky’) led the listener towards final reconciliation.
Two songs on the set list have not yet been released: ‘March Of Time’, and, just a few days old, ‘The Words That Gather’ (for Broadbent’s birthday). The latter contains the memorable line ‘every note a friend by your side’.
The programme finale was my personal favourite, from Quiet Is The Star: ‘All My Life’.
SET LIST
The Love I Left Behind
Then And Now
From Me To You
Quiet Is The Star
Journey Home
When You Are Gone From Me
Forever
A Lark’s Lament
Heart Of Hearts
One For Bud
March Of Time
The Words That I Gather
All My Life
Georgia Mancio & Alan Broadbent, A Story Left Untold. Roomspin Records, 2025. Release date: 5 May.
