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Carlos Bertonatti's smooth faint rasp voice is enough to make any woman gravitate to him. And his chiseled cheeks, dark eyes and light chocolate skin make looking at him almost painful.
On Feb. 7, in the corner of Mosgo's Coffee Shop in Arcata, dressed in a black sweatshirt and blue jeans smelling of bonfire, the multilayered singer exposed his soul. Whether he is aware of it or not, his looks are enough to shoot him up to the top.
But there is more to this man than what meets the eye. What's going to keep him around is his lyrical talent and love for music. When he sings his accent disappears and so do your worries. When he wales out it sounds like he is crying. And when he lowers his raspy voice chills run down your back.
Bertonatti, grew up in Venezuela and moved to Miami at the age of 13. Although he didn't pick up the guitar until the age of 19. Although he sings in English, when he speaks you can detect that Spanish is his first language. He developed an infatuation with American music after hearing the song "Smells Like School Spirit" by Nirvana. "I fell in love with English music the first time I heard that song," said singer/song writer Bertonatti.
At 26, Bertonatti released "Times Are Good." The themes of his music reflect relationship breakups, attempted suicide and the simple things that make life important. Bertonatti describes his music as "fun," but his sound and lyrics are opposites that attract.
His sound is simple and playful, reminding one of Jack Johnson. At his Mosgo's show it was just Bernonatti and his guitar. No fancy chords or small intervals. All the while, his words are firm, full of impact and loss.
Although his performance at Mosgo's was warm and honest, the use of more instruments, resembling the sounds on his record, will make future shows flavorful.
In between songs Bertonatti demonstrated how fast his finger style could fly by preforming flamenco tunes.The incorporation of the flamenco sound can be Bertonatti's staying power in the music industry, but if he continues to consider Spanish music as "wack,"it could limit his success.
Bertonatti said he doesn't sing very well in Spanish, but he should let his fans be the judge of that. By disregarding his roots he may one day fit the mold of the shallow industry.
Check out Carlos Bertonatti for yourself on his myspace page at www.myspace.com/carlosbertonatti
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