Continuing our coverage of last week’s Cover Me finals in Bergamo, let’s meet Tommaso Imperiali, an Italian blues musician, guitarist, vocalist for the band Five Quarters, and philosophy student at the University of Milan.
Although his first Springsteen concerts were in 2016, Tommaso is no stranger to Bruce’s music, nor to covering him in competition. Last year, Tommaso finished in third place with his cover (in Italian!) of “The Promised Land.”
He matched that feat again this year with a breathtaking adaption of “Devils & Dust.”
Tommaso recognized the anguish, anger, and fear at the core of Bruce’s 2005 title track, and he created an arrangement that starts out pensive, leans into sadness, and finally explodes in torment. It’s quite an emotional journey in three and a half minutes.
Tommaso recorded that performance in May. The final live competition was in late August, and in the three months in between Tommaso polished and sharpened his performance to powerful effect, captivating the audience and panel of judges and earning himself a third place finish (from a field of almost 60 entrants and 15 finalists) once again.
With consecutive third-place finishes to his credit, Tommaso is clearly an artist to watch. I’m looking forward to seeing if he can capture top honors next year!
