Francesco Gabbani
Volevamo solo essere felici

Two years after "Viceversa," Francesco Gabbani, the new host of "Ci vuole un fiore," delivers another album that perfectly mirrors the style that made him known to the broader audience, from "Amen" onwards. "Volevamo solo essere felici," this is the title of the new collection of originals, in ten standard-length tracks (only one exceeds four minutes, and none are below three) offers us a whirlwind of beautiful melodies that rock the listener while the author unfolds, as usual by now, verses that combine high and low culture, West and East, perfectly assimilating the lesson from another Francesco, namely Battiato from Jonia. However, with Gabbani, we are always in the realm of fun and play: there are no, or seem to be no, deeper messages behind the quirky verbal juxtapositions that range, for example, from religion to food. One thing is certain: Francesco has created his own style, which you may or may not like, or may tire of over time, but it is undoubtedly recognizable. The ten tracks are as many examples of the same modus operandi. I won't do a track by track, but I will simply say that the best of the lot are, in the opinion of the author, "Spazio tempo," a song previously released and the theme of the RaiUno drama "Un professore," with Alessandro Gassman and Claudia Pandolfi; "Tossico indipendente," the opening track; and "Sangue darwiniano," where the lyrics are more successful than in other songs. The singles "In rete" and the title track, "Volevamo solo essere felici," did not impress me much. I conclude by giving the album 3 stars because I believe that compared to "Magellano" and "Viceversa" there is still something more, especially in the production. However, I do not know how long the "Gabbani-formula" can last and please, and not end up, in its "originality," eventually no longer original.