Dargen D'Amico
CD'

Dargen D'Amico is undoubtedly the best pen in the Italian rap (and beyond) scene. His solo works "Musica senza musicisti" and "Di vizi di forma virtù" are two albums that a more mainstream rap listener, focused on the classic clichés demanded by record labels, might find musically bland; but this is where Dargen creates his strength, both on the lyrical level and in the character he has tailored for himself, capable of also laying bare the deepest feelings of his soul. And it is with this "CD" (initially born as a double EP) that this side is literally catapulted out, from his heart to the pen on the paper. "CD" is his most romantic album, in some ways you could say his most "emo" work, like the case of the charming Kanye West, referring to the album "808 & Heartbreak".

Dargen's "CD" lives on Kanye's album syndrome: it's one of those records that enters the heart, but to many who loved the early Dargen works, it might come out the other end. As usual, the lyrics are inspired and interesting, although the album is fundamentally almost entirely monothematic, more focused on love stories, some lyrically excellent, others a bit cloying in the result; but in the end, it's always Dargen, and he can be forgiven almost anything (almost always). Among the best episodes, one cannot fail to mention the splendid "Malpensandoti", a chilling storytelling of a typical day told with absolute naturalness and irony, obviously involving the LOVE, closing with a precious "stadium" chorus. Helping it all is also the base, very sunny and positive despite the bittersweet message in the background. Notable are "Bere una cosa", "Perché non sai mai (quel che ti capita)" and "Anche se il mondo ha", a song that seems never-ending, but by the end of the listen leaves you satisfied. Dargen logically thought about the hits, and thus releases pearls like "Odio volare", paradoxically a flight with eyes open, accompanied by the voice of the talented Daniel Vit (unfortunately deceased), or "Van Damme", one of the best texts of the work, which embraces italodisco sounds, up to the pleasant "Ma dove vai (Veronica)", with its delightful Caribbean sounds. The most successful is without a doubt "Orga(ni)smo (Uni)cellulare", where Dargen transports the listener from electronic sound to an enjoyable reggae hit, with a pinch of indie flavor in the chorus. The text is as genius as the choice of the title. Surprising is "Un Dio a parte", where the visionary and experimental Dargen of "Di vizi di forma virtù" knocks at the door again, gifting genius phrases like "tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo tradire le aspettative", along with the concluding "Gocce di cielo", where instead there is a leap back to "Musica senza musicisti", under a nearly proto-noise abstract beat that Bjork would have married into, with an onboard hypnotic nonsensical text. "Mi piacciono le donne", produced by Crookers, is the most "ignorant" episode of the album, anticipating "Bocciofili" by a few years, even though this is darker and grotesque, but entertains thanks also to a completely mad text. The masterpiece of the album in my opinion is "Briciole colorate" (besides the already mentioned "Malpensandoti"), a bipolar text divided into two snapshots of a working reality, accompanied by a Hollywood soundtrack-like sound carpet. The only flaw is perhaps the ending a bit too prolonged, due to the presence of perhaps too overwhelming vocal effects, probably a choice wanted by Dargen himself.

The collaborations present within the album hold their own: we again have the "apostles" of good old JD, namely the Two Fingerz, on a whopping three tracks: the overwhelming "In loop", accompanied by a rockish beat with a Daft-Punk-ian flavor ("Human after all" in primis), "Brano senza titolo", with a beat that seems to have come (precisely) from one of the early Two Fingerz albums, with the participation of a Ghemon in his best period, who thanks to his flow and charisma turns out to be the most memorable within the piece. But the best collaboration is without a doubt "Nessuno parla più (con nessuno)", a track that seems to ironically anticipate the TV show "Black Mirror" in the themes addressed, where with black humor the modern society influenced by technology is blown up, replacing everyday clichés with IT terms, in the form of surreal double meanings. It also features Fabri Fibra in the "Controcultura" era, dedicated to acrobatics and metrical rings, who despite everything makes a good impression, in addition to being the protagonist of the apocalyptic chorus itself.

"CD" is the Greek Tragedy of Dargen D'Amico, his call to human feelings, an album that manages to entertain thanks to its fresh and interesting beats in their experimentation (especially the last two episodes), to move thanks to some interesting ballads, mixed with others that perhaps risk falling musically a bit too much into the sappy, but nonetheless make the undeniable writing talent of Dargen reach more palates, even in territories far from the early experimental works and closer to a populist taste. It was a choice that worried Dargen's followers at the time, but however, the latter chose from his position not to compromise too much and maintain his (almost) always independent art in its consistency, despite some minor works in my opinion that he will do in the future like "Vivere aiuta a non morire", in which many defects present in this album will come to a head. Just recover the latest "Ondagranda" in collaboration with Emiliano Pepe, to be aware of the artist's perspective in his artistic conception: Dargen D'Amico does not follow a particular musical fashion, but his simple and pure instinct.

But this is another story...