Fabio Concato
In viaggio

THE REVIEW

The Fabio Concato of 1992 is in a state of grace, and ten years after "Domenica bestiale," he releases an introspective album of the highest caliber, In viaggio. Nine tracks, plus an instrumental version of one of them, six of which have remained in the memory of fans, just as happened in 1984. "La mia macchina" is a piece of great emotional impact, picking up the car becomes a pretext to talk about separation from the loved one. It makes you think of those Saturday afternoon outings, and there are even Leopardi-like elements... the introduction does the rest, magical and dreamy. "Giulia," which this year he brought back in concert after a long time, is dedicated to the singer-songwriter's second daughter, for equal treatment after "Fiore di maggio," dedicated to the firstborn Carlotta. The track talks about a journey, the main theme of the entire album, to Rome, and contains a saying like "it is love, always him, that makes you sing"... In "È festa," Fabio Concato even manages to quote himself: "I enjoy the journey, you know I drive slow"... spectacular! And still very present in concerts. "Quando non ci sarai" picks up both the theme of the journey and the gingerbread house of the Brothers Grimm, already mentioned in Svendita totale. "Provaci tu," also featured at the end of the album in an instrumental version, is a social song, where the author would like to "escape from a hell that can no longer change" and where the concept of freedom has been heavily misunderstood. "Poveri noi," which opens side B on the 33, is another great and sarcastic social attack, against a life where it does not matter how money is earned, "the important thing is to work hard/ do the stuff and think little," a line that lends itself to multiple interpretations. "In trattoria," which Concato would sing with Anna Oxa ten years later and whose version would be published on the live album Voilà, is set by the sea in February, and the protagonist, alone and with a newspaper, can do nothing but talk to the waiter. "Il caffettino caldo" is among the best of the album and the title alludes to the vending machines in offices; the track is a jab against city life, where everything seems to work, from boutiques to aerobic gyms, but behind the appearance lies dissatisfaction because "all relationships are reversed/ this is the danger." Promoted by a video where Fabio Concato shaves, and the barber is Antonio Albanese, it borders on a masterpiece. It closes with an atypical piece from Concato's repertoire, even in Neapolitan with lyrics by Pino Daniele, but which he manages to make intense and credible despite being from Milan: "Canzone di Laura" is melancholic but successful, and the emotion grows on "Laura, se chesta canzone putesse accuncià tutte e guaie"! To truly close the album, the instrumental version of "Provaci tu" previously mentioned.

In viaggio is a concept album, where the journey is both physical and emotional, in the Italy of the early '90s, where perhaps, in some verses, there is the effect of Tangentopoli and the mafia massacres. It is also the first record with Stefano Senardi's Polygram, after years with Philips, and the last record with the fixed collaboration of Vince Tempera in arrangements and Massimo Luca on guitars. From 1994 onwards, Fabio's production will be clothed in a slightly more "Anglo-Saxon" style, without losing, however, the Italian vein. A 5-star album!