Alice
Charade

"How many times have I been deer or hawk man or woman

slave and queen in the same empire

winner and loser in the same war"

from "Under the Same Sky"

A work that combines some personal pages with broader and more poetic visions.

"Charade" is an album that continues Alice's musical exploration, always towards new horizons, new sounds that lead her to go beyond simply making music. In Carla Bissi's production, the most significant constant is the great personality of the artist that is fully reflected in her music. Already "Noon Over the Alps" and before "The Sun in the Rain" had been an extraordinary example of a journey of the soul and body in the world, in small things, in the ordinary. In this album, Alice shifts the point of view towards more personal dynamics, fragments of life and memories, "As a child, I ran playing railings, gates, and dry leaves that kept me company" (from "I Was Never Alone"). As in the previous LP, the musical component is a blend of styles reinterpreted with great taste, making "Charade" a simply fascinating album.

Once again Alice brings a more pronounced use of the drum-machine, programmed rhythms support many tracks and dub music makes an appearance, probably inspired by Battisti of the period ('95) and, coincidentally, the opening track bears a Battisti-like title, "The Appearance". A refined track that immediately presents the new sounds with intricate rhythmic parts but also a suggestive flute part. "Give Me Your Hand, Love" is a splendid song, a very simple lyric sung in an enveloping way capable of truly touching hidden sides of one's heart "And gently embrace me to expand the boundaries of perception".

Music that touches the ambient can be found in tracks like "Under the Same Sky" and "In the Rest of Time"; they are particular, measured, and delicate songs where the singing becomes an instrument that combines now with a guitar arpeggio, a part for violin or viola. "Charade", written by Mino Di Martino, is pure poetry, a lyric that reflects the infinite possibilities of an inner life, "Passing from one dream to another dream to yet another like Russian dolls and you're afraid to wake up better to sleep not to see not to face reality not to know oneself ever", the song is appreciated for its airy and delicate refrain that enhances all the beauty of Alice's voice. In "Charade" too, the artist is accompanied by distinguished collaborators, from Trey Gunn to Paolo Fresu to California Guitar Trio, all musicians who appreciate the art of this jewel of European music and help to musically complete the third chapter of an ideal trilogy started with "The Sun in the Rain". First exploring one's own identity in the world, then in urban dynamics, and finally in one’s inner life.