Francesco De Gregori
Rimmel

THE REVIEW

I'm on the couch... listening to "Nightrain" by Guns N' Roses... and thinking about a worthwhile album to review on DeBaser. found it! "Rimmel" by Francesco De Gregori.

I want to start by saying that it's possible to summarize this entire review with the word "amazing". Yes, an amazing album by an amazing songwriter, who, with his poetry-rich ballads, has given great value to Italian music, now completely lost. My parents used to tell me that once upon a time, you could hear "Un'avventura" by Lucio Battisti or "Buonanotte Fiorellino" by De Gregori on the radio, and today I have the (involuntary) pleasure of hearing "Sei Fantastica" by Max Pezzali (who, by the way, did great things with 883) or "Wale" by Dari on the radio...

But let's not waste time and talk about "Rimmel", an album made of ballads sweetly accompanied by classical guitar arpeggios and piano or organ notes and chords. More than a great musician, in my opinion, De Gregori is a great poet, not to detract from his great talents as a composer and singer. He filled the days of millions of people with sweet phrases, rich in metaphorical meanings, which help to understand everyday life in a more refined context. On this album, the melodies and chords are perfectly matched. These vary from simple chords like a C major or a G minor to more intriguing chords like a diminished D or a major seventh A, which create a particular atmosphere that perfectly matches the melody and also the meaning of the song.

This album is the synthesis of a perfect alchemy between music, lyrics, and arrangement. Now let's talk about the tracks. "Rimmel" opens with a self-titled song, characterized by a piano riff with an introduction, which is then accompanied by guitar chords and other instruments. The chorus is beautiful for its catchiness and its intense emotional charge, "Ora le tue labbra puoi spedirle ad un indirizzo nuovo..." The second track is my favorite, "Pezzi di vetro," which my father taught me on the guitar. A very sweet and poetic ballad, in its majestic guitar arpeggios. All the tracks on this album are, each in its own way, interesting, catchy, and therefore very valuable. I must mention "Buonanotte fiorellino," which my father used to sing and play to my sister and me when we were little... The arrangement of the song includes an imposing piano accompanied by a guitar background. Another of my favorites is "Piano Bar," which closes this great album.

Rating 5.