J-Ax
Meglio Prima

We must admit, at a first listen to J-Ax's latest CD "Meglio Prima", one might feel (especially those who are not fans of the genre might feel) a sensation of music already heard, redundant and at times annoyingly too rhythmic.

To fully appreciate this new work by J-Ax, you should take the time to listen carefully to every single track. Already on a second listen, you begin to perceive the dance-pop style (I dare to define it this way) that marks some of the songs on the album like "La Notte) Vale Tutto", "Tutta scena", "Da Milano a Pizzo", "'Na bomba" and "Reci-divo", very energetic tracks with a mix of voices in the choruses, which aren't bad at all.

The album opens with the song "Ancora In Piedi", perhaps one of the most beautiful of the album from a musical but above all textual point of view. There are also songs that can be defined as commercial like "Domenica Da Coma", "Meglio Prima", "Il Mostro Sei Tu" and "Altra Vita", but that doesn't take away from their catchiness, and just hearing them a few times is enough to have the chorus resound in your head. I would stop at the song "Altra Vita" which, despite having an perhaps already heard harmonic round, the lyrics leave points to reflect on and we find a J-Ax meditating on his past, on his own country and on his own life which, despite being tainted with gray and dark sides, he cannot renounce. The songs "I Love My Bike" and "Per Una Volta" are nice and cute, narrating situations, especially the second part of the song "Per Una Volta" when the category of bankers is ridiculed, is very fun.

Different from the others due to its less dance music but above all for the richness of meaning in the lyrics is the song "Dentro Me", surely the best textual song of the whole album. The two snappy tracks "Musica Da Rabbia" and "Italianimal", surely not appreciated by everyone, are full of aggressive meaning, which is why it is impossible not to lose your temper. ;)

It may be that the track "Farlo Con Te (strappamutande)" from the title could seem banal and one-sided. Instead, it is a real dedication, certainly not in a very romantic sense, of love and attraction that he himself feels towards his own woman. The song "Questi Ragazzini" is full of meaning, describing today's youth and their lack of values, unfortunately not due to their fault but due to those who preceded them.

The disc closes with the remixed track of the song "Domenica Da Coma", a single released a few months ago. This touch of remix makes the track certainly more danceable than the regular track.

Overall, I believe that this latest work by J-Ax should not be underestimated, for the richness of the lyrics, which is never underestimated by the singer himself, but also for its dance musicality. That's why this CD gets, at least from me, a solid 4 stars. ;)