Cristiano De André
De André canta De André

"De André canta De André" is a live album recorded during the 2009 tour in which Cristiano returned to sing the songs of the immense Faber after more than ten years. It is an album that actually represents a true tribute made by someone who undoubtedly has the most right to do so in a year when celebrations and tributes, more or less heartfelt, have abounded. After all, how can we forget the wonderful special by Fabio Fazio on "Che Tempo che fa" where Cristiano was also present, along with another great, immense musician and composer like Mauro Pagani, live from the port of Genoa accompanied by the sweet notes of "Creuza de Ma".

Emotions, many, too many emotions, sensations that chase and find themselves in that voice so familiar, those who saw that special know what I'm talking about. Those same emotions, those same beautiful, overwhelming sensations are found in this album, they can be found in "Verranno a chiederti del nostro amore", "La Canzone di Marinella", "Ho vista Nina Volare" which essentially reflect the original versions, perhaps out of respect or perhaps because they are already perfect as they are. "Amico Fragile" also doesn't differ much in the arrangements from the live versions, very similar to the one sung with Pfm in the first of the two live records in '79-'80.

And then there's "Se ti tagliassero a pezzetti", arranged and refreshed after all these years of greyness, there's Freedom (but in some concerts Fabrizio lets slip "signorina Anarchia" as Cristiano sings in this version) which resembles fantasy so much, it has a beautiful characteristic: no matter how much they try to cut it into pieces, it always manages to be reborn, thanks to Nature.

Fabrizio told stories of the marginalized, prostitutes and people on the fringes of society, the weak and all those people who never had a voice and perhaps never will. In this sense, "Smisurata Preghiera" from that last intense album Anime Salve reclaims their voice and salvation. From Fabrizio's own words: "it is a prayer, a kind of invocation... an invocation to a parental entity, as if it were a much bigger, much more powerful mom or dad. We usually identify these parental entities, imagined so powerfully, as a divinity; we call them God, we call them Lord, the Madonna. In this case, the invocation is for them to notice all the wrongs suffered by minorities from the majorities. The majorities have the bad habit of looking over their shoulders and counting themselves... saying "We are 600 million, a billion and 200 million..." and, taking advantage of being so numerous, they think they can be able, that they have the right, above all, to harass, to humiliate minorities. The prayer, the invocation, is called "smisurata" precisely because it is out of measure and therefore it probably won't be heard by anyone, but we try anyway".

I mentioned at the beginning of the review the song "Creuza de Ma" from the album of the same name, even if this album doesn't feature it, the "Genoese" could not be absent, in fact "Megu Megun" and "A Cima" are present. The album closes with "Quello che non ho", "Fiume Sand Creek", and perhaps the only forced song in arrangements that risk ruining it, I refer to "Il Pescatore" in a too rock version and with unnecessary guitars.

There is little to add to an album like this full of feelings if not to listen to it all in one breath, to be lulled by the voice of Cristiano, so similar to that of the great Faber that it will seem as if you are listening to him in person... It is certainly not the case to make comparisons with the immense figure of his father, but Cristiano certainly proves to be a great musician, and above all a great artist.

I conclude my first review with the words of Cristiano De André himself explaining the reason for this album: “I made the decision to undertake this tour and this album thinking about the legacy my father left me, the fortune of receiving a collection of beautiful songs and poems. Today, as if it were a passing of the baton, I wanted to bring them towards a musical direction closer to my own style. The choice of songs, as you can imagine, was not easy, but there are songs that I feel closer to me perhaps because I lived and saw them being written or perhaps because they remind me of intense personal moments… I hope to give you through this interpretation the same emotions I felt myself."