Levante
Abbi cura di te

Sicilian by birth and transplanted to Turin at the age of 14, Claudia Lagona, known as Levante, is a unique case in our musical landscape: straddling mainstream and the independent scene, she first made an impression a couple of years ago with a single, "Alfonso," which at first, casual listen might have seemed like yet another short-lived radio phenomenon, especially because it stood out more for the "What a shitty life!" line in the chorus than for its tragicomic performance or well-crafted arrangement. However, all the gossip was silenced by her debut album, "Manuale distruzione," which, besides being appreciated for its melancholic pop-rock, showcased the determination of a girl who made her way on her own, even facing several closed doors, and finally managed to get noticed purely through her own efforts, without passing through talent shows or various TV programs, some more dreary than others. In short, Levante earned her place and seems more determined than ever to keep it, but without too many compromises: despite releasing under Carosello Records, her second album "Abbi cura di te" only confirms the promises glimpsed in her debut.

The girl's authorial vein and grit are the same as in her debut, and this time, along with improved writing, the songs benefit from gentle touches of synthesizers and electronic samples that beautifully complement the melodies Levante weaves on the guitar. The result is an album with familiar yet sophisticated sounds, alternating between intimate and ethereal pieces ("Finché morte non ci separi," sung with her mother, "Biglietto per viaggi illimitati," "Mi Amo") and more spirited ones ("Le lacrime non macchiano," the carefree rock of "Caruso Pascoski"), some more electronic, others less so, but all more or less able to highlight the girl's pen: direct, rarely trivial, sometimes sharp (see the successful lyrics of "Plastiche plastiche"), and often delicate, she manages to create pleasant and, in some cases, incisive texts in a pleasantly straightforward manner, without resorting to randomly placed metaphors and/or far-fetched ones (not once throughout the album do nights, stars, and various weather agents come up!) and without falling into the annoying tendency to consider Italian syntax and grammar a mere opinion. In short, well-conceived and meaningful lyrics, additionally enriched by a voice that may not appeal to everyone, but with its sweet-bitter timbre, always knows how to give them the right interpretation and personality.

Truth be told, there's no lack of some somewhat uncertain passages ("Lasciami andare," a somewhat forced attempt to create an electro-pop piece at all costs), perhaps due to the fact that Levante still has to decide whether to focus more or less on the electronic component of her music, but overall "Abbi cura di te," besides being a significant milestone for an artist like her (how many emerging artists in Italy go straight to their second album?), represents the confirmation of a personality that, shedding the reductive label of "new Carmen Consoli" (with all due respect to the latter), will surely surprise us in the years to come.