Marlene Kuntz
Uno

Premised (but what a pain discussions that start with a premise! Come on, say what you have to say without hedging!) Who spoke? Okay, as I was saying: premised that I am a big fan of Marlene Kuntz. I've been following them since the big bang. Just to say, I've seen them live before Dan Solo arrived. And I've always tried to appreciate even the latest albums, increasingly less rock and increasingly more... difficult, if you will.

I now find myself listening to this "Uno" where the process of de-rock-ization of dear old Marlene has definitively come to completion.
One cannot help but appreciate the courage and the intention, the originality of the choices, and the boldness with which the MK leave an old beaten and safe path to venture into uncharted territory. Where have the MK arrived now? Among songwriters, among experimenters? Close to Radiohead or following in the footsteps of De Andrè? Great, come on! Stimulating! -on paper-
However, it's a pity that, with all the best intentions, even having absorbed the reasons and the models, this album still leaves me a bit perplexed.

It seems to me, at the moment, that the result is decidedly inconsistent. The point is that even though, on a cerebral level, I may have understood the premises, the context, and all the good reasons, then to my ears and heart, in the end, I receive a result that, leaving aside all the underlying "hassles", I cannot completely like.
If I listen to "Uno" forgetting the creative path of MK in the new millennium, it remains a somewhat monotonous album, a sometimes strained singing, lyrics that are sometimes interesting but, in some cases, definitely embarrassing (absolutely Priapus and the satyr of "Sapore di Miele" require an immediate SKIP on the CD player).

This album (said by the MK themselves but it is also evident upon listening) is a child of the S-Low tour experience where the MK "stripped" their own songs, removing noise, feedback, spores, leaving bare the skeleton and soul of the songs with results that I found decidedly exhilarating. That is, the "S-Low" concept was a great idea that (however, in that case) also produced a great product.
Why doesn't the same formula work in "Uno"? Because during the "S-Low" operation the MK took the best of 10 years of career. Stripping down "Lieve", "Nuotando nell'aria" and company is one thing. Churning out an entire album with the presumption that all the pieces shine in their simplicity, assuming to have written 12-pearls-12 is perhaps naive but also quite presumptuous.

The leitmotif of the entire album is love, indeed, given the sweetness that oozes from many tracks, one might say Ammore! Right from the phrase inspired by Nabokov which serves as the keystone for the entire album "There is only one true number: One! And love apparently is the best exponent of this uniqueness".
You almost imagine a completely smitten Cristiano. He has closed in a drawer the harlots, the queen bees (already for some time, instead, he had killed Paranoia his concubine) and now wanders blissfully smelling flowers and walking... three meters above the sky.
Since the Marlenes are (alas) increasingly the "Cristiano Godano Band" no one dared to bring Cristiano back down to earth and maybe step on his foot to mount a bit of the old rage.

The result -I repeat- is inconsistent and only a few songs are saved as they are: "Musa", "111", "Stato d'animo", perhaps even "La ballata dell'ignavo" and "Uno". Sure: 5 out of 12 is not few. It is clear that it is certainly not an album to be completely flunked.
Perhaps I am not rigorous enough, but I would have preferred that, with a bit more cunning, the weaker tracks were "reinforced" with a bit of old-fashioned guitars or with some crafty electronic effects. Hats off then to the coherence and courage of the people from Cuneo.

I await them with great curiosity live. Radiohead can afford to write a "Pyramid Song" when then live Thom Yorke sits at the piano, Colin Greenwood takes up the double bass and they go with great mastery. Will the THREE Marlene Kuntz be able to do the same with a live Musa?
I believe they will have to rely on supporting musicians and even this prospect leaves me a bit perplexed.

Note:

1) Interesting (perhaps intended?) that Paolo Conte collaborates precisely on the track "Musa". Conte himself declared publicly a few years ago (with great courage besides) that he could no longer produce records simply because he had exhausted his inspiration. It took him nine years (1995-2004) to find his Muse again (who knows where he had parked her!?)

2) in the Credits for the first time the MK present themselves as a trio, in fact, Maroccolo is no longer in the formation.
"The MK are Cristiano, Riccardo, Luca." -period-.  Gianni Maroccolo "only" does the arrangements, the artistic production and... plays the bass, of course, but he has returned to being an external collaborator to the group.

3) for the first time, it seems, we find in an MK album a string ensemble and (hear hear!) an acoustic guitar! Electronics, on the other hand, had already appeared here and there in previous productions.

4) Among the many collaborations from the aforementioned Paolo Conte to Greg Cohen, former double bassist of Tom Waits, there is also Ivana Gatti who does the backing vocals and counter-singing to Cristiano. Ivana Gatti certainly arrived in the recording studio brought by Maroccolo as they have been recording and playing together live in the "IG" project for a few years now.

5) A well-known detail but worth highlighting: every piece is accompanied in the booklet by a brief contribution from writers and artists of clear fame including Lucarelli, Benni, Brizzi, Conte himself, and others. Great initiative, interesting results.