Madh
Madhitation

Dear brothers and sisters, what can I tell you? What can I possibly say, it just happened, that's all. Chance, pure and simple chance. Praise be to chance, bringer of surprises, universal bypass for any type of preconception. I find myself browsing the stands at a MediaWorld, looking for names I don't know; sometimes I do this, maybe there’s a cover that piques my imagination, something that gives me a sensation of the exotic, a potentially profitable gamble, all strictly random, then I look it up (not too much though) and decide if it's worth trying or not. Madh? Madhitation? Mmmh, maybe... I search on English Wikipedia and find out that the person in question is a 21-year-old Sardinian who appeared on X Factor 2014. Really? And here I was expecting some kind of modern Prince wannabe, strictly made in the USA or UK; I'm naturally skeptical, with that background, but also "desperate" and disenchanted enough to overlook it and let curiosity take over. Why all this spiel then? We don’t have to justify ourselves to anyone; if we want to review a Backstreet Boys album and give it 5 stars, we do it, period. After all, we are Danny The Kid; let’s say the spiel is purely introductory, it sounds good and, believe it or not, it’s true, cross my heart. Never watched a single minute of X Factor in my life and this won't change even after listening to this album.

Anyway, here’s "Madhitation", the debut album of Madh, or Marco Cappai if you prefer; international mentality and a certain measure of originality, two strengths that should be acknowledged regardless of what one thinks of him and his offering. The intentions are excellent: to offer something young and fresh, with well-defined guidelines, a captivating and colorful sound, a clearly defined stylistic imagery, and the guy has managed to pull it off convincingly: "Madhitation" is a good album, not the classic sugary mess made in Italy, that's for sure. Well, it’s a bit of a mess anyway, but in a good sense: reggae, ska, drum 'n' bass, hip-hop, electronica, with a hint of oriental sounds and inspirations, a good melting pot that can be listened to with extreme ease. It relaxes, entertains, sometimes even intrigues, some tracks have quite sudden and unpredictable changes of theme and sound. Good vocals, catchy and very "agile" tracks, the "Madhitation" tracklist is a continuous succession of rhythms and colors, it lacks that bit of flair that could generate some truly above-average tracks, but there’s no significant drop in style, for a debut album it gives a good sense of solidity and clear ideas. As highlights, I would particularly point out an excellent feel-good song like "Triangle", with an enveloping sound and a sure and very attractive stride, "Gong" with its pleasantly chaotic development, with a touch of cheekiness, why not, then some slightly calmer episodes like "River", "Madhitation", "She", "Vai", nice sounds and good vibes; the single "Sayonara" is better in acoustic version, which is an excellent indicator of "real substance" beyond the special effects.

In short, I like this guy and I'll gladly give him four stars, rounding up. I found a young, debuting Italian, who can be listened to easily, without demands and with pleasure, and I am pleased with that. That’s enough, just that, I don’t care about the rest. "Madhitation" is a fortunate combination of elements, on various levels: combination of sounds but also of sensations, it's an album of disengagement and to listen with a free mind, it asks for nothing and gives pleasant sensations. An excellent investment, as long as one doesn't have unreasonable expectations but also no prejudices. After this debut, he might not do anything good again? Possible, it could be, for now sincere compliments, “Madhitation” for me has been a breath of fresh air, and I needed it, and I never expected it could present itself in this form. Praise be to chance, it always makes everything tastier.