Voto:
Thank you for the entries on this page; I apologize for not responding to each of you individually, but I prefer to add everything I haven't written to avoid making an already overly long review even heavier. It came about this way; usually, I don't like to dwell on a track-by-track description of an album, but this rule must have its exceptions. In this case, since "Da questa parte del mare" is a concept album built according to a logic in which - according to its author - each song is a chapter of a unified story, it seemed more right and useful to "read" it in detail. As John of Patmos already knows, with whom I discussed this a few days ago, I think this album by Testa is less "easy" and intuitive than his previous works, but not less beautiful; in fact, it has the great merit of growing with each listen. It is an incredibly rich album both thematically and musically. Moreover, the incredible attention to the whole, to the logic, the organic nature, and the coherence that binds the individual parts together is striking. Therefore, I believe this is the most ambitious work, in terms of musical construction and lyrics, that Gianmaria Testa has created so far. Thus, it is an album that marks an important passage in Testa's musical history, as it partially changes the course he has charted so far. It was objectively difficult to make the choice to write such an album. The risks were many. Leaving behind certain certainties while risking falling into crude demagogy, clichés, and banality. Instead, Testa managed to provide a personal, intense, fundamentally human interpretation of a complex/controversial phenomenon like few today, providing us, among other things, with plenty of food for thought. In this, in the aims and methods, I see a connection with Faber because this human reflection starts from a soul. And this is the most important merit. In my opinion, he has also succeeded thanks to his character. I had the chance to talk to him a couple of times after attending some of his concerts. He is an attentive, sensitive, and intelligent person. Uncommon. Perhaps because of these characteristics he works so well with others. In this respect, Testa embodies the idea of a somewhat collective construction of an album, where everyone can and must contribute their personal input in terms of musical ideas and beyond. That is why I believe the presence of G. Mirabassi, E. Pietropaoli, B. Frisell, G. Cohen, F. Biondini, F. Garcia, P. Ponzi, C. Dadone, P. Fresu, etc., represents active participation in the construction, and not just simple guests or minor players. This is also an important and uncommon aspect, I would say. Finally, I really like the way Testa approaches his projects; he does not churn out an album every year as a contract obligation; he has his own timing, follows it, and fills it with various well-considered projects. This is also uncommon. One last thing: it is worth mentioning the attention to the editing of the CD, practically a book curated in every detail—photos, lyrics, and all. In short, all these reasons have led me to lean towards a highly positive evaluation of this album; I hope it will please and interest other visitors to these pages as well. To this end, I have included samples of almost all the tracks on the album. Goodbye everyone.
