Grasshopper

P.S. I didn't know about this anecdote regarding De André. (strange, because I follow almost everything about what I consider the greatest of our singer-songwriters). Now that I know it, "Macramè" appears to me in a slightly different light, however still extremely pleasant.

A Tom Traubert: perhaps I am influenced by the percussion festival that enlivens much of "Macramé," from "La vita segreta" to the delightful tango "L'angelo e la pazienza." When you add to this the skill of the professionals and the presence of Trilok Gurtu, my impressions become clear. Still, it is certainly not the only album by Fossati that breathes "world music": valid ethnic episodes can also be found in other albums, from "La pianta del tè" to "Lindbergh."

The work that marked the end of late Romanticism and introduced the dissonances of modern classical music. As such, I should hate it, but how can one not recognize in this ballet, and in Stravinsky in general, a disruptive and revolutionary force that deserves to be appreciated nonetheless? An intelligent and very analytical review, just as I like it.

It's obvious that the Celts didn't use keyboards or synthesizers, but in the absence of precise information about what they used and how, Enya (and not just her) tries to recreate that magical blend with electronic means, as well as with her voice, which is rightly described as "archaic." I don't know what the ancient Celts would think (one would have to take a little trip to the afterlife to find out), but personally, the mixture that comes out seems truly well-executed.

Those who say that all Enya's albums sound alike are not entirely wrong, but they must consider the exception that proves the rule: the exception is indeed "The Celts," an extraordinary album not only for its originality but also for how it reveals ancient suggestions to us. Anyway, even the albums based on the "Watermark" model (which I had the honor of reviewing) are excellent: when the model is good, one can repeat it, at least within certain limits (in the latest "Amarantine," Enya does start to bore a bit at times).

Some people think that crying is something for weak individuals, and so they steer clear of this singer-songwriter, who has always been greatly underestimated, or they mock him, touching their balls when his name comes up and other such nonsense, often without even knowing him. I believe that being capable of crying or at least being moved is simply a sign that we are still human beings, despite the pressures from all sides to not be. I don’t particularly idolize Claudio Lolli, but I defend his absolute uniqueness compared to Italian singer-songwriters, his manifestly militant and Marxist stance, "senza se e senza ma," without caring too much about public sympathy, his songs often hard to digest, sometimes violent like punches in the stomach, but always authentic, and that’s no small thing.

In such molten matter, I would fear melting away, and indeed I have never listened to an entire Wagnerian work. In this specific case, it is more than enough to confuse (but also to satisfy) my senses a CD of "highlights" from this opera, conducted by the excellent Karl Bohm (my 5 refers to this CD). This learned and convincing review pushes me to submit, sooner or later, to 3 - 4 hours of complete Wagner, to which I am by no means impervious, despite being a great enthusiast of Brahms.

The only album by Vanoni that I know, even though I consider it more of an album by Toquinho and Vinicius De Moraes with Vanoni singing. Her nasal and aristocratic voice surprisingly fits well with bossa nova, but "Anema e core" feels out of place, as do the poems recited by Vinicius's booming voice. It's a great album nonetheless, even if not quite a masterpiece. A review that does justice, although somewhat brief.

I had missed this interesting singer-songwriter dispute, and I want to weigh in: I believe Morgan is right when he says that "Guccini would not be able to write like De André just as De André would not be able to write like Guccini." In other words, to get into the details, De André is more of a poet, in the sense of being a master in the use of words as suggestion, compared to Guccini, who is more of a storyteller and indeed rarely manages the synthesis typically found in poets; instead, he tends to overflow and tell long stories. It’s no coincidence that Guccini is also a respected novelist (lately he’s been writing mysteries). In their respective fields, they are both truly great, but precisely for this reason, making comparisons or rankings is quite pointless. I also confirm what ajeje said about the old Venditti: up until "Sotto il segno dei pesci" (1978), his career is more than respectable, with interesting ideas (Maria Maddalena, Campo de' Fiori, Marta, L'amore non ha padroni, L'orso bruno, Mio padre ha un buco in gola, etc.). Venditti was a bit angry back then, still far from the total unraveling of the '80s and '90s, which would lead him to make foolish money moves but also to completely tarnish his reputation.

This is more or less a copy-paste of my comment on the previous review of the same album: "If songs were judged only by the concepts contained and the words used to express them, this would probably be one of the most beautiful albums ever produced by our singer-songwriters. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, there is also the music, and here I can only agree with what Poletti says because it really is anonymous and colorless, and indeed I believe it is mainly this album's fault that Guccini earned the unfair reputation of being an unmusical singer-songwriter or something like that. The damage done by Pier Farri here is even more evident than in 'Radici': a serious and reflective ballad like 'Canzone delle osterie fuori porta' cannot be dressed up with marimbas, congas, and that kind of carnival nonsense, just to give an example. A decent review, in the sense that it is well written, although I hardly share anything of the drastic overall judgment on the character Guccini and more generally on the so-called 'left-wing singer-songwriter genre' (because, by any chance, is there even a right-wing one?)"