Jovanotti
Ora

Jovanotti is one of those artists who now represents a "guarantee" for the majority of Italian music listeners, proving to be one of the best-selling artists every time he releases an album. But there is one thing that differentiates Lorenzo Cherubini (that's his real name) from the "big names" in Italian music: he is always capable of producing an album different from the previous ones, a quality that, for example, artists like Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini, or Biagio Antonacci do not have, as they tend to repeat themselves even while obtaining excellent sales results.

He is a surprising artist, both positively and negatively, even if for many his best work is that "L'albero" from way back in 1997, which Jovanotti himself presented as "his most beautiful album... for sure". The problem is that since 1997, Cherubini has released albums that are certainly valid, both for the quality of the musicians and for his lyrics (the key element of his songs), but which end up being inconsistent: a mix of masterpieces and very poor compositions, as happened with "Il quinto mondo" or "Safari". The merit of this "Ora" is that it finally manages to sound like an "authentic" album: there's nothing forced, everything is genuine, "felt" by the artist, who for this new work chooses the path of "warm electronics", as he calls it, because, besides the synths and computers, there's also the soul of a now 44-year-old Jovanotti, who always wants to renew himself and amaze listeners.

The opening track "Megamix" seems just like a song conceived as an "intro" to the album: it's an outpouring, a song that from the start foretells the instrumental inclinations of the album: synth and sequencer together with bass and acoustic drums, a "fusion" that could already be sensed in "Buon Sangue". When "il Jova" relies on these instruments, he often creates beautiful compositions: this is the case with "Sulla Frontiera" (which contains a successful reference to Battiato). But the real strong point of the "fortunate boy" of the 2000s is the ballads: indeed, the best tracks on the album are "L'elemento Umano", "Le tasche piene di sassi" and "Un'illusione": romantic, very significant lyrics, as has become typical of Jovanotti, that manage to be more mature than others, like "A te" from the penultimate album "Safari".

Particularly noteworthy is "Sul lungomare del mondo", a reggae track that hasn't been heard in his songbook for a long time. On the other hand, "Il più grande spettacolo dopo il Big Bang" and "Dabadabadance" are questionable: two definitely avoidable songs, the first built on a banal chord progression and lyrics that would remind one of the Jovanotti from some time ago, and the second, which seems more like a game, in which he does nothing but repeat the title of the track multiple times. Furthermore, there are electronic delusions that, while sounding "real", often end up being self-indulgent ("Spingo il tempo al massimo", "La medicina", "Go").

In summary, this is yet another inconsistent album, but there is a hint of growth compared to previous works: finally Lorenzo makes the music he wants, without having to answer to anyone.