Folkabbestia
Il segreto della felicità

"The tarantella is a young wine, a sip of joy
the root in the earth that nourishes poetry
follow me and dance the tarantella, it will bring us home
on the roads of the world together we will sing"

The Folkabbestia return to make us dance with fifteen new songs. After a live album and a collection of covers, their long-awaited "Il segreto della felicità", their fourth album of original tracks, is released. The Apulians offer a fast and fun folk, inspired mainly by traditional Apulian tarantella, but also by Balkan music and Italian singer-songwriters (Battiato, De Gregori).
The album opens with the autobiographical title track "Il segreto della felicità", released as a single shortly before the album. It is a musically direct and simple track, with a cheerful accordion motif and lyrics that summarize their history as musicians. The classic tarantella "Risveglio dall'incanto" is the antidote to the tarantula's bite, with instructions for use ("Wake up because time is running out! Take the rhythm of the dance: to heal from the venom, dance like the tarantula"). "Potere alla poesia" and "La civetta" vie for the title of the most beautiful song on the album: both have a very beautiful melody. "Prendo tempo" effectively mocks the frenzy with which we face daily life, neglecting the more important values. The slow songs "Il brigante innamorato" and "Il sogno di Mhedy" give us two breaks between one dance and the next, while tracks like "Cartomanzia" and "La danza che muove il mondo" will delight those lucky enough to see them in concert this summer (why don't you come to Macerata, much-longed-for Folkabbestia??).
Yes, the concerts: when the six from Bari take the stage and the party starts, everything around them becomes more colorful, the air is sparkling, and the square goes wild, inevitably, in dances and jumps. With the help, perhaps, of "a mug to empty as if it were the holy grail".
In judging this new release, I limited myself to an intermediate score because I did not find songs worthy heirs of "Tammurriata," "Le vie del folk," "Staila Lollomanna," and all the other crowd-pleasers that have made me jump and rejoice countless times. However, the 56 minutes of the album are permeated by a strong spirit (not grappa, even stronger) that makes me forget where I am and what I have to do tomorrow, so immersed I am in fantasizing about the peaceful Salentine hills, pizzica parties, and the hot but smiling faces of people dancing.
It is music that tastes of summer evenings, that frees the mind from any worries, that transmits a carefree serenity. The Folkabbestia send us a message as simple as it is profound: look at the beautiful things in life, add a bit of imagination, and don't forget irony. Here is the secret of happiness revealed.