Francesco De Gregori e Checco Zalone
Pastiche

LA RECENSIONE

The goal was not to amaze, and indeed Pastiche does not amaze, the new work by Francesco De Gregori and Checco Zalone, an unlikely duo that brought this project to life somewhat by chance and certainly for the desire to engage with one another.

It opens with the new track Right or Wrong, which turns out to be the best of the collection. In fact, the album consists of reprises of the historic De Gregori, the more recent Francesco, and covers of other songwriters.

The first category includes Pieces of Glass, Rimmel, Atlantis, and Good Night Little Flower; the second includes False Movement while the third includes Sunday Painters by Paolo Conte, Putesse essere allero by Pino Daniele, Pinocchio's Story by Nino Manfredi, and The Things of Life by Antonello Venditti.

Surprisingly, there is the unreleased Alejandro, which talks about a homosexual couple, sung by Checco Zalone, who also duets in The First Republic, a cult track taken from Quo Vado?

There is even space for an encore of Sunday Painters in a piano and voice version and Right or Wrong with an orchestra, as well as the revival of Ciao Ciao, year of our lord 1985, taken from Chess and Tarot.

Checco accompanies all the songs with gentle elegance and for the first time manifests himself as a complete musician.

The work overall is worth just over three stars and represents the return of Francesco De Gregori to the studio after 9 years.