Jovanotti
Safari

THE REVIEW

"Gemme five! Gemme five! Oh, right!" _{(Jovanotti at the beginning, in 1988)}

"Every scar is God's autograph." _{(Jovanotti in 2008, exactly 20 years later)}

Hey folks,

the artists I like the most are those for whom, by listening to their discography from start to finish, one can witness their compositional maturity and perceive their experiences.

In both cases, Jovanotti is exemplary.

His latest work is selling a ton of copies (it's already a diamond record) and has been charting for more than a year and a half, with no less than six singles in heavy rotation... And I would say he deserves all this media and public attention.

It's not often that an original artist like Jova hits such a wide range of listeners, considering that many of his current fans surely hated the kid from "Jovanotti 4 President" to death.

Honestly, though, I think there are few who loved him back then and don't love him anymore today.

This is because the party-goers of the late '80s have grown up today, just like Jovanotti, and thus can still appreciate him, just as the people who considered him a brat back then have now had to reconsider.

Another reason for his success is surely the sincerity of his songs: Lorenzo tells us about his life, no more no less.

Sure, most perceive pieces (in my opinion beautiful) like "A te" and "Come musica" as saccharine serenades made specifically because Italians love them so much, but I don't see it that way.

Lorenzo is married, loves his wife, and is inspired by her, which is why in his current albums we don't find songs about the end of love, which are also adored by the average Italian.

Not to mention the funky-rock exploits of the title track (with lyrics that are anything but accommodating) and "Mezzogiorno", both successful singles.

Remarkable are also the rap-styled acoustic ballad "Fango", with chilling lyrics, and the lively "Punto", another fun love song.

But even outside of the parade of singles, there is something interesting to be found, such as the ballad "Innamorato", the notable "Dove ho visto te", the funk of "In orbita" (an excellent text penalized by too many purely musical parts), and of "Antidolorificomagnifico" and, more than anything else regarding the text, the dark (an atmosphere fitting with the song) "Temporale".

The only black sheep is "Mani libere 2008", collaboration with Manu Chao which closes the album.

Even vocally, Lorenzo now manages it excellently.

The rating is 4 stars.