The Reviews are in....
"FRONT RUNNER for Best Of 2008....Stunning arrangements ballast the power of each and ever song here. This is the point where I have to tell you stop reading and just go down below these words and *just listen*!" Bruce Brodeen, Not Lame
"Greatness has rubbed off on Ciampi as this is a wonderful piano based love letter to classic power pop fans. Like the Nines, Frank wears his influences like badges of honor. From the Ziggy Stardust meets Ringo Starr mix on the title track ("Big Top Woman") to the Wondermints-styled "Waiting For Someone" the songs all have a wonderful sense of melody and hooks. The Beatlesque stamp is all over this entire album, with most songs evoking Sir Paul, like "The Miss Jenny" and "Oh Gloria." Lets not forget the Beach Boys bliss-like singles "Anna" and "Anyway." The production techniques are rooted in the 70's, with touches that bring to mind Supertramp or Andrew Gold. A great example of this is "On The Road" with it's awesome guitar solo and multi-tracked chorus, piano breaks, it's an epic poem in every sense that lyrically ties together the other songs. Every track here is wonderful and even the closer "Along for The Ride" evokes the ghost of Big Star. The musicianship is flawless as well and I'm pissed I couldn't add this to last years top ten. If you even like a little bit of the mentioned influences, this is a MUST buy disc."
Aaron Kupferberg, powerpopaholic
"Ciampi’s smart songwriting and appetite for the paradigms of classic pop and rock are a constant, impulsive force throughout Big Top Woman‘s 11 tracks.....Ciampi isn’t just an imitator of aesthetic, however—from song to song, he bends each archetype to his post-modern, irreverent will, yielding spring-loaded pop that’s both fresh and familiar." Zeth Lundy, popmatters.com
"The horns and time shifts in "Little Girl" are worth the price of admission alone; "Madeline Maybe" will stick in your head - no maybes about it; "Waiting For Someone" would have fit in nicely on Smile (yes, that Smile)......There isn't a bad track here to be found." Steve, absolutepowerpop
"...Fast forward a little over two and a half (!) years and it's finally here - and worth every minute we had to wait! In a nutshell, he liberally sprinkles elements (hooks, harmonies, strings, guitars, and keyboards) of pure and sweet 60's and 70's pop throughout his absolutely brilliant debut!" Ray Gianchetti, KoolKatMusik
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