Cristina Donà
Così Vicini

A Walk in the Woods.

Right from the cover, Donà's new album presents itself exactly like this, as wandering among the trees without a precise direction, in the company solely of one's thoughts and mind, and, just like an uninterrupted flow of words and unspoken yet so strong sentences, the tracklist of "Così Vicini" flows.

Compared to the previous "Torno a Casa a Piedi," this new studio effort marks, once again, an artistic turning point in the creative path of the Lombard singer-songwriter, who leaves behind the brightness and lightness of the aforementioned album in favor of a greater intimacy that is expressed both in light tracks with a suspended atmosphere, in some ways similar to what was already appreciated in "La Quinta Stagione" (the delicate title track, "Perpendicolare" and "L'Infinito nella Testa"), and in pieces with a decidedly more rocking edge, where a decidedly dreamlike flavor is still maintained (especially "Corri da Me", "Il senso delle Cose", and the beautiful "La Fame (di Te)", which starts quietly and grows to explode at the end).

So, is "Così Vicini" a new "Dove Sei Tu"? In some ways, yes... but here the sounds are softer, delicate even in the most frantic passages, painting much warmer and blurred images compared to the sterile and dark ones Cristina described in 2003, something accentuated by the fact that here (almost) no trace of electronics is present.

As stated in the opening, in fact, listening to this album is like hearing the thoughts of its author during a calm stroll through the woods, thoughts both calm and restless, but generally very poised and excellently narrated by the voice and lyrics of Donà, never so elegant and aware of her own simple yet refined stylistic signature, showcasing the best of herself in that "Senza Parole", a true gem of the album, which in a delicate intertwining of guitars, drums, strings, and fairy-tale suggestions, concludes in the best way one of the most pleasant and emotional listens and journeys of this 2014.

A journey that I will gladly repeat over and over again, regardless if the path is always the same, as I will be accompanied by music of the highest level...