Viva Lì

Very little melody and a lot of experimentation. Urban alienation and technological nightmares, acoustic sounds and decaying lyrics (in the good sense of the term, of course). Few know this album, yet it is a gem to be preserved faithfully. Because even Dalla knew how to experiment. Marco Poletti Dixit.

Ridiculous. But unfortunately involuntary. The tendency to philosophize is now fundamentally irritating: in evident crisis of inspiration, he seeks help from the 99 Posse and the C.S.I., but the result is what it is: terrible. He even writes a lullaby for his daughter Teresa and massacres "I got rhythm" by Gershwin. But on the other hand, during this time, besides composing albums, he also writes books (with the blessing of Fernanda Pivano), acts for D'Alatri, and is committed to eliminating debt to the countries of the Third World. A bit of confusion. Marco Poletti Dixit.

A step (or maybe two?) back from the previous "Lorenzo 1992," but by now Jovanotti is a full-blown star. Touring with Luca Carboni, then with Pino Daniele, and finally with Eros Ramazzotti, Lorenzo does it all: these are the last flashes of an effective artistic maturity. Inimitable when he sings "Seranata rap" and "Penso positivo" (but "Piove" is no joke either), yet he too often tends to do like Jesus with the twelve apostles: he preaches too much and writes some unforgivable nonsense ("Il futuro del mondo," "Il ballerino"). A bit less groundbreaking, but this is where the crisis begins, leading towards the abyss and towards emptiness. Marco Poletti Dixit.

Excellent high-charting album, undeniably the masterpiece of Lorenzo Cherubini. The philosophizing musical critics (present on DeBaser in industrial quantities) are nauseated by it, yet the public justly rewarded this excellent work which, according to many critics' definitions, can be considered one of the best works in the history of Italian music. Inimitable Jovanotti when he has fun with "Non m'annoio" or "Ragazzo fortunato" (his most beautiful song), and also when he composes sunny ballads like "Chissà se stai dormendo" and "Puttane e spose." Intelligent lyrics (go back and reread them) and straightforward music but never trivial. In an absolute state of grace. Of course, if one only idolizes people like Deep Purple or Velvet Underground (amazing, but they too have had their missteps), well, what can I say, just forget it but don’t come to us with the little story of Jovanotti as the 'poor fool.' He’s made some silly mistakes (he’s been making quite a few lately), but this "Lorenzo 1992" is absolutely exhilarating. And the initial claim (from "Il rap") is absolutely exemplary: "Sono io, quello di E' qui la festa, quello con il cappellino, quello senza la testa." Marco Poletti Dixit.

Jovanotti is a nice guy, and he can be quite likable. But there’s no denying that when he tries to overdo it, he never manages to reconcile quality with quantity: it's entertaining when he sings "Questa è la mia casa" or "Bella," but when he philosophizes with "Linea d'ombra," it’s frankly unbearable. Too much on the table, but we're not at the very low levels of "Capo Horn" (1999). Marco Poletti Dixit.

A hasty piece registered more for fun and with so much, too much, enthusiasm rather than thoughtful and well-studied. Actually, studied yes, but at the drawing board: this is where the Jovanotti phenomenon begins (with the annoying refrain "Gimme five"), but the Tuscan-Roman rapper DJ will only take off with his second album, "La mia moto" (1989), and not with this improvised and amateurish LP. I can also be forgiving, but if you give a 3 to this record, what do you give to De Gregori's "Bufalo Bill"? An 11? Marco Poletti Dixit.

Congratulations to the De-Reviewer Mc Sampyr, he reviewed the album as I would have done. And I don’t know if this is a good thing or, it might be, a bad thing. Marco Poletti Dixit.

In the end, after the half flop of "Il quinto mondo," this "Buon Sangue" isn't even that bad. Lorenzo is still what he is: a big softie, funny, communist, friend to everyone (peoples, nations, things, homes, people), but he is irresistible when he sings "Tanto, tanto, tanto." And even "Mi fido di te" has things that shouldn't be underestimated. The music is reasonably well-crafted, but the ostentatious desire to find catchy tunes at all costs sometimes slips into mannerism ("Falla girare, falla girare in modo che tutti la possano vedere"). Marco Poletti Dixit.

Second album of the very young Grignani. A nice dose of rock, and a solemn initial renunciation that makes this interesting mid-nineties album charming: "I come from the plastic factory where they packed me well, but I didn't exactly come out as a well-packaged product." Unfortunately, sales plummeted. What a shame. Marco Poletti Dixit.

Grignani at historical highs (and this explains how little he can actually do, which is very little). A bit of Battisti and a bit of Vasco, a lot of rock and plenty of melody. The best example is "Baby Revolution," with some nice sound ideas and even a touch of modest psychedelia. Yet, it always seems like something is missing. Marco Poletti Dixit.