Raf is one of those singers capable of surprising, of changing genres when we least expect it (or at least he has been, if only for this album), indifferent to disappointing some honeymoon couple, and introducing a perhaps uncomfortable political nuance, leaning to the left; or perhaps aiming for 'a great leap' toward authors like De André, De Gregori, and Guccini; always assuming he needed it, given that music always escapes the stereotypes of the forms it takes.
'La prova,' dating back to '98, opens with 'Vita, storie e pensieri di un alieno,' which consolidates the romantic and melodic nature, further enhancing the sound impact through excellent guitar riffs and a keyboard background that blends well with Raf's rich voice, which, between mid-range and head voice, speaks idyllically about life to an inexperienced alien.
'Lava' is a fairly slow track, but interspersed with heavy, brief, and sonorous riffs, driving forward in the final part; and even the vocal intonation sharpens in certain passages, on the melody that alternates between low and high notes, with these lyrics: 'Sono lava, fuoco e luce, nella notte, dove sei, sono un urlo che, che non tace, prendimi, sono quello che vuoi. Sono lava, mare rosso, che ti scava, cerca un posto, dentro di te, per ogni volta che vorrai, che vorrai...'. 'Little girl' follows as the second single after track 1, slightly faster in tempo and weaker in riffs (though still recurring), while the sentiment echoes previous and future heartfelt works.
'Che giorno è' introduces the political theme against a rock backdrop, loosely referencing the years of lead, not even directly, with always poetic and rhymed lyrics, well-paced even in the chorus surrounded by heavy riffs. An acoustic 'ballad' follows: 'Jamas,' with somber and broken tones, and melancholy and dissenting lyrics towards American apologia as well as nostalgic and laudatory towards Ernesto Guevara, to whom it is dedicated and addressed: 'Oh... mai, no te habran jamas'.
Next in the album is 'La danza della pioggia' (also featuring a nice video), which, thanks to the allegory of rain, is well-paced through metrics and assonances and, of course, love-themed lyrics. While 'Il primo uomo,' marked by acoustic guitar and bass with rock guitar interspersed, is a song with purely poetic and existential lyrics.
'Tra le mie domande e il mare' follows, continuing the previous themes in its lyrics and another episode with a strong cadence, which with oscillating onomatopoeic lyrics about the sea leads into the title track, 'La prova,' where Raf cheers for the losers, the marginalized, and the ghettos, contesting in a very subdued and resigned manner but also vainly stoic. On a musical level, the drums strongly stand out, alongside the guitar, and the alternating vocal lines of fast verses, like in rap. Very unique.
I conclude with a comment addressed obviously only to the music (I am not interested in politics at all), which has taken possession of these rock sounds, while at the same time perpetuating the pop matrix in the lyrics, on melodies stationed in pop metrics. A fundamental quality, according to me, is uniformity, which gives the perception of completeness to the creative idea underlying this album.
