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Gennaro Cosmo Parlato? Ok, let's talk about him; it's undoubtedly an interesting topic, a thorny one, but interesting. I don’t know how many of you know/remember him, probably only some fans of Caparezza and Piero Chiambretti (Are there any fans of Piero Chiambretti here on Debaser? This is your chance to find out). To the average Italian, he certainly appears strange, unconventional: a more rounded and chubby Klaus Nomi, with not-so-subtle hints of Moira Orfei, reinterpreting great classics of Italian '80s pop, strictly female artists, "Maledetta Primavera," "Fotoromanza," and "Comprami" to name a few. But what strange, what unconventional, here we are really at the most blatant cliché: a queer making music for queers, clear, simple, reassuring. Wittingly or not a caricature, and I've never been fond of caricatures. Theoretically, that's where the discussion would end, but there's more: Gennaro Cosmo Parlato is a good performer and a brilliant writer in his own way, otherwise, I wouldn't even bother to write about it, which is why this suffocating cloak of banality and stereotypes irritates me so much. The cover albums with which he debuted were his free choice, or to obtain minimal visibility, he had no other option? I lean towards the second option. "What's strange about it," as his first album is titled, and I'll tell you what's strange about it.
A cover album can be a whim for an artist who has already proven something; in the '60s it worked differently, but today it’s no longer the case, generally debuting with someone else's material is for useless artists like Michael Bublé and Joss Stone, and GCP has anyway shown not to belong to this crowd. Times have changed, and not for the better: in the '80s, an Ivan Cattaneo could still achieve appreciable success and notoriety, apparently, in 2000s Italy, it no longer works like this; in Germany it does (Rosenstolz docet), in Italy, it doesn’t seem so, and Tiziano Ferro is an exception confirming the rule. So, who buys the albums of someone like Gennaro Cosmo Parlato here? Yeah, too little to go around, but making him sing these songs (those are not the problem, mind you, the operation itself is annoying) and sending him around to TV lounges perhaps they can scrape something together, once the novelty effect is over, many goodbyes and scurdammoce o' passato, as they say at his place. As expected, in 2009 Gennaro attempts to make a qualitative leap with "Soubrette", the first album of his own material; the promotion is virtually nonexistent, you can imagine the sales, and the aspiring Neapolitan singer-songwriter disappears without a trace.
"Soubrette": the title might suggest further celebrations of frills, jokes, and sequins that are really not needed, but this album is truly a pleasant surprise. Gennaro Cosmo Parlato is a singer-songwriter pop, but really pop pop, pure and simple: no pretentious philosophical-alternative whining à la Antony/Rufus Wainwright, deo gratias. Had he had them, his career would likely have continued with the blessing of critics, but to delve further into the matter would mean more lines of my complaints and ramblings, and I'm sure I’ve already bored you enough, so let’s finally get to the point, starting with the title track. "You queen of summer, who has never gone hungry, I admire you and don't esteem you, who knows why, I who wash stairs and see you pass without greeting, take me up too!" Well, I didn't expect this, I can't say it's some brilliant idea (about this album, everything can be said except that it's brilliant), but it's still a surprise. Being surprised is always a good thing, it’s an enriching experience, for better or worse. Good track anyway, very representative of the album in general. Danceable bases, almost disco-like, pleasant and communicative singing, never too gay, good melodies, generally appreciable and straightforward lyrics, simple, albeit at times a bit naive.
Yes, I'd say the friendly caricature knows his stuff, nothing more than danceable pop with a chart potential with a touch of Italian melody, but proposed with style and character. Among all, standout tracks are the Arabesque "Agguato a Marrakech", suggestive and intriguing even if partially smothered by the presence of a dull and wooden Enrico Ruggeri, the elegant bossa nova of a bittersweet "Via Toledo", the most acoustic and singer-songwriter moment of the album, and finally "Albatross", a simple yet sincere and emotional dedication to Giuni Russo, a singer GCP wisely refrained from covering at the dawn of his career. For the rest, "Soubrette" is a pop/dance album pleasing and with few pretensions aside from entertaining the listener, "Savoir Faire" is another perfect example, as well as the intriguing "Lezioni d'amore" and "Naples", far from successful and convincing in the lyrics but energetic and engaging.
Well, what can I say, the bitter aftertaste remains even though the album is pleasant in itself. Gennaro Cosmo Parlato is nothing more than a respectable local craftsman, "Soubrette" is far from a life-changing album, but in that shapeless soup generally known as Italian pop, he could well have been included, queer or not, with makeup or without. I mean, there ought to be a healthy medium between Antony and Malgioglio, someone unpretentious but not an idiot who can appeal to a 16-year-old girl and the guy who listens to music only on car radio, who doesn’t give the impression of being a niche artist or for a chosen few. "Soubrette" could have been a good starting point to build something positive, but the entire GCP affair has been handled from the start in the purest Italian style, that is, in the worst way. A decidedly unedifying story and an artist in himself negligible, but the rant was fun and healthy.
A cover album can be a whim for an artist who has already proven something; in the '60s it worked differently, but today it’s no longer the case, generally debuting with someone else's material is for useless artists like Michael Bublé and Joss Stone, and GCP has anyway shown not to belong to this crowd. Times have changed, and not for the better: in the '80s, an Ivan Cattaneo could still achieve appreciable success and notoriety, apparently, in 2000s Italy, it no longer works like this; in Germany it does (Rosenstolz docet), in Italy, it doesn’t seem so, and Tiziano Ferro is an exception confirming the rule. So, who buys the albums of someone like Gennaro Cosmo Parlato here? Yeah, too little to go around, but making him sing these songs (those are not the problem, mind you, the operation itself is annoying) and sending him around to TV lounges perhaps they can scrape something together, once the novelty effect is over, many goodbyes and scurdammoce o' passato, as they say at his place. As expected, in 2009 Gennaro attempts to make a qualitative leap with "Soubrette", the first album of his own material; the promotion is virtually nonexistent, you can imagine the sales, and the aspiring Neapolitan singer-songwriter disappears without a trace.
"Soubrette": the title might suggest further celebrations of frills, jokes, and sequins that are really not needed, but this album is truly a pleasant surprise. Gennaro Cosmo Parlato is a singer-songwriter pop, but really pop pop, pure and simple: no pretentious philosophical-alternative whining à la Antony/Rufus Wainwright, deo gratias. Had he had them, his career would likely have continued with the blessing of critics, but to delve further into the matter would mean more lines of my complaints and ramblings, and I'm sure I’ve already bored you enough, so let’s finally get to the point, starting with the title track. "You queen of summer, who has never gone hungry, I admire you and don't esteem you, who knows why, I who wash stairs and see you pass without greeting, take me up too!" Well, I didn't expect this, I can't say it's some brilliant idea (about this album, everything can be said except that it's brilliant), but it's still a surprise. Being surprised is always a good thing, it’s an enriching experience, for better or worse. Good track anyway, very representative of the album in general. Danceable bases, almost disco-like, pleasant and communicative singing, never too gay, good melodies, generally appreciable and straightforward lyrics, simple, albeit at times a bit naive.
Yes, I'd say the friendly caricature knows his stuff, nothing more than danceable pop with a chart potential with a touch of Italian melody, but proposed with style and character. Among all, standout tracks are the Arabesque "Agguato a Marrakech", suggestive and intriguing even if partially smothered by the presence of a dull and wooden Enrico Ruggeri, the elegant bossa nova of a bittersweet "Via Toledo", the most acoustic and singer-songwriter moment of the album, and finally "Albatross", a simple yet sincere and emotional dedication to Giuni Russo, a singer GCP wisely refrained from covering at the dawn of his career. For the rest, "Soubrette" is a pop/dance album pleasing and with few pretensions aside from entertaining the listener, "Savoir Faire" is another perfect example, as well as the intriguing "Lezioni d'amore" and "Naples", far from successful and convincing in the lyrics but energetic and engaging.
Well, what can I say, the bitter aftertaste remains even though the album is pleasant in itself. Gennaro Cosmo Parlato is nothing more than a respectable local craftsman, "Soubrette" is far from a life-changing album, but in that shapeless soup generally known as Italian pop, he could well have been included, queer or not, with makeup or without. I mean, there ought to be a healthy medium between Antony and Malgioglio, someone unpretentious but not an idiot who can appeal to a 16-year-old girl and the guy who listens to music only on car radio, who doesn’t give the impression of being a niche artist or for a chosen few. "Soubrette" could have been a good starting point to build something positive, but the entire GCP affair has been handled from the start in the purest Italian style, that is, in the worst way. A decidedly unedifying story and an artist in himself negligible, but the rant was fun and healthy.
Tracklist
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