Elisa
Heart

1. Vortexes 9.5
02. And All I Need 7.5
03. Anche Se Non Trovi Le Parole N.C.
04. This Knot 9.5
05. Mad World 9.5
06. Ti Vorrei Sollevare (con Giuliano Sangiorgi) N.C.
07. Your Manifesto 8.5
08. The Big Dipper 8-
09. Someone to Love 7
10. Poems by God 7.5
11. Coincidences 8.5
12. Lisert 9
13. Forgiveness (feat. Antony) 7.5
14. Dot in the Universe 8.5

Listening to this "Heart" over and over again, I hear a very mature Elisa: the arrangements and production border on absolute perfection. Moreover, she really sings in a masterful way... a burst of voice that could shatter eardrums!

There couldn't be a better start than with "Vortexes", a great entrance ticket: a very touching verse, an open and powerful chorus... maybe the bridge is a bit weak, but nothing major... on the plus side, the ending is spot on and the strings are arranged perfectly. "All I Need" is a ballad with atmospheres that remind me a bit of "City Lights"... very steady from start to finish... no big ups and downs, nice bridge with the vocals. Skipping over "Anche se non trovi le parole", surely the second single that might sell a lot but in my opinion really has nothing to say in any respect... we arrive at the best track of the album: "This Knot". A very passionate piece where Elisa's voice can let loose in a series of overwhelming ups and downs and reach a chorus that doesn't let you stay still! Beautiful bass and guitar riffs... a really great piece. For "Mad World" nothing new... just the rightful consecration in the studio of one of the highest moments of the mechanical dream.. nothing to add but a nice 9.5. Another leap beyond the useless and insipid "Ti vorrei sollevare" to get to another punch... "Your Manifesto". A really catchy riff that bounces in your head and lyrics that show us a new Elisa (I'd love to know who it's dedicated to!). Then comes "Big Dipper": the whole text is very beautiful but the music of the verse doesn't fully convince me, the bridge holds its own while the chorus is really beautiful. "Someone to Love" is pleasant to listen to, but it neither adds nor subtracts from the album... "Poems by God" is a very disorienting piece as Elisa had never tackled such a subject so directly, perhaps even too much: one of Elisa's qualities I've always appreciated is her way of telling things and expressing opinions in an evocative and never predictable way... unfortunately, this characteristic of hers is somewhat absent throughout the album. Regarding "Coincidences" it's not like that: the part of the world that is not under man's control is told in a more lyrical manner here and the result is certainly better. What to say about "Lisert"? A great text supported by complex and never banal music with a musical-style ending... lisert... lisert... lisert... beautiful. "Forgiveness" begins with a cadence like "Hallelujah" and then evolves supported by perfectly fitting strings (which is very strange because usually strings in songs always bother me a lot... XD); however, as in all Elisa's duets, I would prefer the version (if there will be one) without Antony. The album closes with "Dot in the Universe" where we find an acoustic guitar style like "Lotus". A piece characterized by very positive melodies, which closes the listening of "Heart" instilling a sense of serenity in the listener.

In conclusion, "Heart" encompasses all of Elisa's artistic souls and elaborates them in a brighter and more mature key. Certainly, it lacks that lyricism, that evocative power that characterizes works like "TCTS" and "Asile's World" and makes them so fascinating and almost "dark." In "Heart" there is very little "dark," everything is bright, smiling, revealed. This obviously doesn't mean that this album only talks about sun, heart, love! The themes are always interesting; what changes in my view is the way Elisa relates to them and talks about them in her lyrics. All in all, if we exclude the two pieces in Italian written specifically on commission for the bank account of artists and the production company, the work is very satisfying and follows Elisa's artistic and human evolution intimately. Rating: 8+