Daniele Silvestri
Il Latitante

THE REVIEW

Brief introduction on the Artist: Daniele Silvestri, after years of hard slog in almost anonymity (with peaks including "L'uomo col megafono" "Le cose che abbiamo in comune", "Cohiba") is now among the quite big names in Italian music. He deserves much more success, but some of the difficulties stem from faults he can hardly attribute to others.

Strengths: good musical talent, excellent preparation, outstanding lyricist. He plays several instruments at a high level and easily navigates through the most disparate genres: disco, ballads, raw rock, Latin melodies, easy pop, comedic, alternative... in his now rich discography, you find a bit of everything, and generally well done. He has a warm voice and skillfully uses his hoarse and distinctive timbre, never going too high. His strength lies in his intelligence, both musical and beyond. Live, he is thrilling; the boy with a guitar in hand really does what he wants.

Weaknesses: many genres but lacking something truly his own (if only it were easy). He still needs to find his identity, torn between the commercial of "Salirò" that brings money and fame, the niche product that almost everyone ignores ("Aria"), and his being too politically aligned (I consider constantly attacking the usual enemy a bit out of fashion now). Masterpieces: "Voglia di gridare", "Strade di Francia", "Banalità".

Coming to the album in question, after the long wait I expected a bit more, while at first listen everything seems like a not-too-convincing backdrop to the hit "La paranza", commercially valid and which doesn’t renounce the noted foreign contaminations with an ironic and biting text and a melody that travels alone.

Listening a bit more, however, reveals the mature talent of the not-so-young-anymore Roman minstrel who as usual, spans with disarming ease across different genres and styles. It starts with "Mi persi", inspired but teetering between very engaging and "a little slow"... surely there aren't many in Italy that have pieces of this caliber up their sleeves. "Faccia di velluto" is a pleasant mix of jazz and samba (a bit Italian style), "Il suo nome" with the bass of Max Gazzè (friend and former session musician) which travels like a train, is really a well done song. Indefinable genre but engaging both in the half-rap verse and in the intriguing chorus. It's an example of the musical intelligence mentioned earlier.

Complicated discussion for "Sulle rive dell'Arrone"; many like it and it's certainly refined and peculiar. Perhaps a bit slow and slightly too "romanaccia", but never as much as "A me ricordi il mare" which works great until Lezzi's entry which turns it into an already heard song, a bit banal and a bit too Tiro Mancino. The usual insult to HIM comes with "Che bella faccia", which at least is an inspired and fun mazurka. "Gino e l'Alfetta" is all Silvestri. Powerful, fast, with a committed text that, however, slips by. It won't be anything unheard of, but it works great, and it's excellent for testing the subwoofers of a new car (a bit like "Manifesto") from some time ago. A bit too "already heard" instead is "Love is in the air", which lasts quite a while. "Prima era prima" works well, seeming like a "Dado" song, and also worth listening to is the Intillimanesque "Ancora importante".

In the end, I'd say that the album is good, not Silvestri's best but less light than others. It mirrors how he is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting talents of our scene, who can fully bloom but already now helps to balance out the misfortunes of Meneguzzi & c.

Heartfelt advice: go see Daniele live, you’ll fall in love. Bye!

I invite you all to http://www.the4fabs.com/