Fabio De Luigi
Olmo & Friends

December 2001. A real record phenomenon, this "Olmo & Friends," a collection of comedic songs, yet in no way idiotic, the proceeds of which were destined for Emergency by Gino Strada and which went very well in the charts, even reaching the point of competing with Pink Floyd. On the cover, Olmo, aka Fabio De Luigi, with his piercing gaze, stares at the listener... the "&" in "Olmo & Friends" is the Emergency logo, and at the top right, the words "La Gialappa's Band is proud to present..." On the back, Olmo in one of his poses and the titles of the 15 tracks chosen for this more unique than rare musical operation. Olmo had already made a name for himself for a few years, first in "Mai Dire Gol," then in "Mai Dire Grande Fratello," so his songs were collected along with those of Maurizio Crozza to form the tracklist. The comments of the Gialappa's, the varied versions of Olmo's greatest hits, and a couple of stacchetti from "Mai Dire Grande Fratello" spice and enrich everything. That said, the exciting action of inserting the CD into the player is performed, and... voilà! "Piccolo fiore bugiardo," a song that immediately demonstrates Olmo's characteristics, his twisting of syllables at the end, his triple foot tap... pop that conquers on the first listen! Following that is "C'è simpatia," another captivating hit from the singer with the brown hair, black jacket, and pink shirt, ending in curses fading out... a delicious ending... and the less successful "Sei il mio cucù"... "cinciallegra di nostalgia... cinciallegra di malinconia." But it's at track 4 that everyone should stand up, because here comes the masterpiece: "Dimmi cosa pensi di me", which closed the episodes of "Mai Dire Grande Fratello" and where Vanette, aka Paola Cortellesi, participates. In the episodes, besides Vanette, true singers alternated, like Elisa Toffoli, for example. The track is sentimental, the arrangement is successful in creating a slightly melancholic atmosphere, leaving the viewer at the end of the episode with a bit of a bitter taste because the episode was over, and it had been wonderful! "Che sei una merda, inequivocabilmente MERDA" became a catchphrase... After this take-off start, the album relaxes a bit with fillers like "Non vuole un fratello" and "Fratello Fever," only to return to the start, which is "Piccolo fiore bugiardo" but IN THE OLD WAY, with typically 1970s Italian sentimental arrangements, Cugini di Campagna and the like! The parody of an already parodic song is truly amusing in itself! Midway through the disc, 45 seconds of spoken word for "Gialappa's per vooi," where Marco Santin, Giorgio Gherarducci, and Carlo Taranto tell the friend listener that they've pulled a fast one, but that this package is for a good cause... the songs are described by Marco as "this SHITTY SONGS," and then there's Carlo's final advice to "press the stop button and throw away the disc." An action which, if not taken, leads to the continuation of the "work," such as the deadly pairing "Il ballo dell'umiltè"-"Non voglio fare il militare," with Maurizio Crozza imitating Arrigo Sacchi and accompanied by Elio e le Storie Tese. Stefano Belisari's band, co-authors of "Non voglio fare il militare," add value to two tracks, especially the second, with great rock impact and performed live... the chorus "Olga... caviale del Volga" is monumental! The tracks are finished, and the rest of the CD continues with a Live Version of "Sei il mio cucù," the beautiful remix, the only one on the disc, of "Dimmi cosa pensi di me," and three other tracks without voice, because they are in karaoke mode, of the first three songs, namely "C'è simpatia," "Fiore bugiardo" (written this way, without "piccolo") and "Sei il mio cucù."

Upon reaching the end, there's still the desire to listen to this definitely provocative album, but in its intelligent comedy and its charitable intentions, it achieves a full 5 stars, also due to the skilled blending of modern pop and old pop, rock, live and spoken word, karaoke, and remix. On the back, after the tracklist, there is the message "By purchasing this CD you have also contributed to supporting Emergency" and "All artists donated the proceeds to support Emergency's activities in favor of war victims." The music for the tracks is by Savino Cesario, arranger together with Chicco Santulli.

The following year Olmo will sing "Non mi sento in ordine" with Lucia Ocone, and a second episode will be considered, which then doesn't materialize.

A great album for all fans of the Gialappa's Band, true phenomena of Italian comedy and television.