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Rating:
"E più ti amo" by Alain Barriere is a cover that the young Battiato had already interpreted in 1965, on one of his first 45s, and one can imagine the satisfaction with which the musician resumed and readapted it for this project more than forty years later. "It's five o'clock" by Aphrodite's Child is truly one of the album's gems, with the splendid voice of Iranian singer Sepideh Raisadat, the usual orchestral spirals, and a beautiful acoustic guitar. "Del suo veloce volo" is an Italian version of the song "Frankestein" by Antony and the Johnson, drafted by Battiato and sung in a duet with Antony himself, is the brilliant proof of the clear will to revive that way of making covers typical of the Sixties, years to which the entire Fleurs project undeniably looks back with a certain nostalgia. «I find them to be inspired songs, from a time when the song was primitive and explosive. There was a joy of living that we are losing» says Battiato about it. And with "Et maintenant" by Gilbert Becaud and "Il venait d'avoir 18 ans" by Dalida, the Sicilian singer-songwriter continues to tell us about his passion for that esprit that only the great French song can offer. "(Sittin' on) the dock of the bay" by Otis Redding, with Anne Ducros, and "Bridge over troubled water" by Paul Simon are perhaps among the less bright moments of the album, partly due to Battiato's uncertain English pronunciation, partly due to an unconvincing arrangement. Then the two pieces by Camisasca, a friend and old collaborator of Battiato: "Il Carmelo di Echt", a heartfelt meditation on the religious Edith Stein who found death in Auschwitz, and "La musica muore", in duet with the author, explicit memory of the great musical-existential adventure that many young people experienced at the end of the Sixties, made of memorable songs that played in the air and borders crossed by hitchhiking to reach mega gatherings.
The album concludes with "L'addio", written by Battiato for Giuni Russo and never interpreted by the author before, which sounds like a heartfelt farewell to the great Sicilian singer who prematurely passed away four years ago.
Let yourself be enveloped by this music, it's worth it.
Tracklist
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Other reviews
By primiballi
Just being called Battiato isn’t enough.
A festival of missteps, the triumph of embarrassment, the ecstasy of irrelevance and inappropriateness.
By lianag
Battiato’s album is extraordinary.
It would be interesting for those who wield the pen to do a little soul-searching before spewing nonsense.
By mafiaETpizza
These arrangements are cute, but when you repeat them for three consecutive albums, they become a bit tiresome, dear Franco!
The worst of all though (and tell your friend Camisasca) is 'La musica muore'... It’s dreadful.
