Fausto Leali
Leali Live

Born in 1944 in Nuvolento (Brescia), Fausto Leali is considered, both today and in the past, the Italian soul of black blues (which, to be honest, isn't exactly clear, but it seems to be a kind of fusion between black music and American blues).

At 14, he is already a prodigy: singing in orchestras and, at a young age, becoming part of a local band from Brescia, the Novelty, where he is not only the singer but also the leader. He produces an endless series of covers (mostly rock & billy) until he arrives, in the mid-sixties, at the height of fame. It is television, especially "Canzonissima," that praises him, and he rewards the audience's anticipation with memorable tracks often interpreted professionally: "A chi" is the most famous song, but "Deborah" and the early "Angeli negri" also achieve great public success.

He experiences a much-talked-about love story with Milena Cantù (the former girl of the Clan) and faces an unpredictable and very sad musical break starting from 1970. He returns to popularity in 1976 with the modest "Io camminerò", but the true comeback is marked in 1987, when he triumphs in Sanremo with "Io amo". "Mi manchi" is the definitive consecration, while in 1989 he wins at the Festival dei Fiori in a duet with Anna Oxa thanks to the greatly overrated "Ti lascerò".
He experiences an uncertain period, divided between blues and soul: he returns to Sanremo in 2002 and achieves a very respectable fourth place, in a duet with Luisa Corna, with the song "Ora che ho bisogno di te". Fully satisfied, he decides to plunge headlong into a disgraceful and unbalanced Rai reality show: "Music Farm". The popularity is now established, even kids start humming "A chi, sorriderai se non a me...".

Mission accomplished. In 1999 he publishes, for RTI, "Leali Live", an ambitious concert album, in which Leali, perhaps with a bit of presumption, attempts to revisit, with a less dated and more appealing sound, his unforgettable hits. The result, upon reflection, is a bit disappointing.
It is always pleasant (unless one is snobbish or a foreign music enthusiast) to listen to "A chi" and "Deborah", yet, despite the grit and vocal power of the National Fausto, the modern and pop arrangements do not benefit some old great classics: "Angeli negri" played almost in a techno style evokes tenderness more than admiration.
Almost identical, however, are the more recent successes: "Mi manchi", "Io amo", and a monotonous "Ti lascerò" (Anna Oxa is absent, but she couldn't have been contracted?). Leali still, despite some forced ridiculousness, remains the same old lion: vocally perfect, he seems unaffected by the advancing years nor by the ailments of age. And when the music takes over (unfortunately it happens a little too often), one feels a sort of nostalgia and hopes that, soon, Leali returns to singing.

"LealiLive" is a simple and concise album, with some musical prolixity, a few silly things here and there, but much courage and grit: it was advertised only on private or specialist channels (see Radio Italia Tv), achieved little sales success, and did not even enter the hit parade. Okay, it is not a masterpiece, but at least a small promotion in some less niche television wasn't such a bad idea. And, if we really want to be frank, it costs just over 5 euros: a trip to some megastore, you readers, promise me you will? Today, in a full era of reevaluations (even Alvaro Vitali and Lino Banfi's films are being rehabilitated), it would be more than rightful to rediscover this vocal talent that, for at least two generations, has made millions of Italians dream and sing to the cry of "Pittore, ti voglio parlare, mentre dipingi un'altare...".

It's sad and even a bit distressing to see him plunge headlong into low-quality reality shows and proclaim himself as a mentor, as well as the putative father, of some short-lived singers (see Simone, who sings the memorable lines: "Quando sei ragazzo, non te ne frega un cazzo...").