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Rating: Paolo Conte: "Finally I have a student".
A big responsibility lies with Enrico Giaretta, a young pianist and singer-songwriter, who worked for many years alongside Franco Califano. This "On the Wings of Music" is his first solo album and it's a sensational debut. By sensational, artistically speaking, since the sales are not astronomical.
It starts with one of the most beautiful pieces of the entire album (and my favorite) "Cinemà", where the enormous influence Paolo Conte has on Enrico becomes immediately apparent. Note that a certain Tony Levin is on bass. The second track is the most famous of the bunch, "Tutta La Vita In Un Momento" (offered a few years ago by Matt Dusk under the title "Back In Town" enjoying massive worldwide success) and it's among the finest, with a fantastic interpretation (as is the case for the entire album) and a captivating rhythm. There's also a video of the song directed by Silvio Muccino (well...) where Giaretta pilots a state-of-the-art Eurofighter jet (since Enrico's second passion is flight, earning him the nickname "singing aviator").
The third track "Paolo Il Ferroviere" is, as one might expect, a dedication to Paolo Conte in which Giaretta also plays the kazoo. Very Contian both in music and lyrics. "Come Fosse Un'Idea" is a piece for piano and voice, not among my favorites but still more than sufficient. Beautiful towards the end is the violin intervention by Olen Cesari (the album's producer, co-arranger, and co-author alongside Giaretta, his great friend, and artistic partner). "Roma Saigon", though not musically among the best songs (even if there's still Tony Levin, this time on double bass), boasts a nice text and a good interpretation.
So far, we've listened to a great album with outstanding songs and a couple of fillers that seem so only because compared to 3-minute masterpieces like "Tutta La Vita In Un Momento" or "Cinemà". But the masterpieces are certainly not finished: also worth mentioning is "Mon Papillon" (track no. 6) with a nice bass line by Shama Milan and a trumpet arrangement (Fabrizio Bosso, for the record). The French phrases sung by Enrico create a connection, once again, to Paolo Conte, who is famously very appreciated in France.
Another great song is "Migrazioni", yet another good performance (even if Enrico overdoes it a bit here), a beautiful drum rhythm, and an all-around Olen Cesari (acoustic guitar, slide guitar, violin, effects...), while a step below (but still at a good level) is "Maria Sofia", where Enrico plays piano, organ, marimba, accordion alongside singing and providing backing vocals. The last masterpiece of the album is "La Fabbrica Delle Nuvole", again references to Paolo Conte (the phrase "quella tua faccia un po' d'Africa" seems to come straight from an album by the lawyer), once more stunning music as well as the interpretation. The album closes with the 15 minutes of the title track, a duet between Enrico's piano and Olen's violin. It's a undoubtedly beautiful and emotional piece, but it clashes with the rest of the album, slightly affecting the overall beauty of the work.
"On the Wings of Music" is a fantastic debut, where Enrico Giaretta with immense personality manages to make his mark without appearing as a modernized imitation of Paolo Conte, whose influence is nonetheless clear if not dominant. This is an almost perfect album, which I recommend you buy, or download, or at least listen to some tracks on Enrico's myspace because it really is worth it!
Actual rating: 4.5
Tracklist
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