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Rating: "I would like it to be inscribed on my tomb -Here Lies Love-" (Imelda Marcos)
The character of Imelda Marcos has always occupied many pages in the Anglo-Saxon and Anglophone press (both lifestyle and political), as well as, for geographical reasons, in the Far East press, but in the Italian press, except during the most "heated" period of Philippine history (1986 and the "People Power Revolution"), it has never occupied much more space than that granted to simple foreign news (it's not the "place" to do so, but it would be interesting to open a discussion on how effective and timely Italian journalism is in narrating events that happen outside the Boot) so it might seem odd to think of a Musical entirely dedicated to her. But this is a slightly "peripheral" point of view, so the nearly three years of effort required to "craft" a complex work, in terms of quantity and quality, like the one under review should come as no surprise.
The project was tackled by two well-known figures in the Musicbiz: the first is the former head David Byrne and the second is the eclectic Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim. I believe neither needs much introduction to the Debaser audience, so I'll move on quickly: also because this work is absolutely not comparable to anything previously done by the two (therefore, fans of both are advised not to expect continuity with their previous works).
I was talking about a Musical, but in reality, apart from some performances held three years ago, the most tangible document of the concept is a double CD (also available in a deluxe version with a DVD, featuring a video for each track on the album, and a substantial photo and "story" graphic booklet) released last April, featuring 22 (12 and 10 respectively) songs performed by 21 (plus Byrne, present in two tracks) artists gathered together: a heterogeneous ensemble of voices from every point of view (nationality, attitude and artistic history, main artistic medium, level of popularity, chosen musical genre, etc.) except for one aspect, namely the fact, with two exceptions (Byrne himself, as mentioned, and Steve Earle), that the performances come from female vocalists. The complete list is at the end of the review.
The fact that the double CD in question was met with mixed reviews (in Italy, on the other hand, most were cautiously positive) should not be surprising because the only things that can be said with certainty are that those who participated in the project surely had a blast and that trying to categorize the result is impossible because we are facing the most "blended" (chaotic?) work imaginable (even though the two discs differ significantly in mood: the first more "traditionally" melodic, the second more rhythmically "colorful" and restless). Folksy ballads, Latin and Caribbean rhythms, jazz splashes (especially in the brass) alternate (not always harmoniously, to be honest, but probably the slightly disturbing effect is intentional) with concessions more to artistic pop rather than avant-garde rock, accompanying the main highlight, namely the vocal performances of the artists involved: all of distinctly high level.
In short, a divertissement that should be listened to as such, approached with the joyful and relaxed spirit of someone who just wants to have fun and play with music, leaving behind taking oneself too seriously (though, as mentioned, the technique is certainly not lacking), can only prove enjoyable.
Mo.
The voices who participated (listed in an order I believe chosen randomly, since it doesn't adhere to any apparent popularity or alphabetical criteria shown in the promotional poster):
Róisín Murphy (formerly of Moloko)
Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond)
Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine)
Annie Clark (known as St. Vincent)
Nicole Atkins (also known as Nicole Atkins and the Sea)
Natalie Merchant (formerly of 10000 Maniacs)
Santi White (known as Santigold)
Kate Pierson (of The B-52s)
Sia Furler
Tracklist
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