For those too young to remember, The Rokes were a successful Italian pop group in the 1960s, comprised of English expatriates to Italy, singing in Italian. Their most successful songs included 'Piangi con Me' (the original version of 'Let's Live for Today' a US hit recorded by The Grass Roots) and 'Che Colpa Abbiamo Noi' (an Italian version of 'Cheryl's Going Home' by Bob Lind). The Rokes have never stopped writing and they have recently resumed playing. Bella Italia is their new album...

For fans of The Rokes, this album will be warmly welcomed... For everyone else, it will seem a little odd, as while it evokes sounds of the past, it actually also sounds a little dated.

The music is as strong as it ever was, it's just that I was expecting the band to deliver something a little more modern, a little more appealing to today's market.

The LP contains 14 tracks (46 min, 16 sec) and will have old fans tapping their feet in no time. But it's unlikely to appeal to a younger audience.

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Nick Smithson