Massimo Ranieri
La Faccia Del Mare (Odyssea)

Massimo Ranieri is one of our most beloved and followed artists since the beginning of his over-forty-year career filled with great original successes. An artist who has been able to make his mark, presenting himself as an absolute avant-garde phenomenon all Italian, able to effortlessly transition from the reinterpretation of great Neapolitan classics (with dedicated albums such as "'O surdato 'nammurato", "Passa lu tempo e lo munno s'avota"), to the fusion between classical and popular music (the stunning "Meditazione" recorded live at the historic Teatro Valle in Rome), or even to the true musical of "Hollywood ritratto di un divo", passing through the classy pop of "Se bruciasse la città" (published in his self-titled debut LP). It's impossible not to mention THE song par excellence, the one that only the incredible expressive ability and passion of a music giant like Massimo could make unforgettable: "Perdere l'Amore" is the pinnacle of 1980s Italian music, not coincidentally the winner of the 1988 Sanremo edition and effectively the definitive consecration in the pantheon of the greats.

After this necessary introduction, and considering the depressing "0" in the weak Debaser database, I would like to bring to the attention of the Debaser population this true concept that confirms what was written just a few lines above: eclecticism, passion, and a total vision of music at 290°. A concept that revolves around the myth of the Odyssey, capturing its epic breath and transforming it into grandiose and sonorous music, at times exaggerated but never excessive or tedious. A true challenge to the old English prog "à la Yes" which indeed preferred to divert to chart pop-rock ("90125") rather than compete with the polyhedric talent of our hero.

"La Faccia Del Mare"...the title is eloquent, and one could already intue the epicness of the album; it is a surprising "Introduzione" (in name and fact) that confirms our suspicions: the music is imposing, with the orchestra of 752 elements that hits us in the face with a power that could knock the unsuspecting listener off the couch/chair/stool/toilet, leaving them decidedly stunned. Usually, you expect calm before the storm, but good Massimo proved to be clever in overturning the famous saying. Once our attention is captured, it becomes all too simple to be charmed by his vocal exploits in songs like the calm "Il Cuore Del Mare" (a kind of reverse after the overwhelming overture), in the somewhat cheesy "Penelope" (held up only by his heartfelt interpretation) or in unprecedented crooner-style detours in "New York City", passing through the spectacular overdubbing of 100 voices in the epic but far from redundant chorus of "Stephanos", a song with a truly engaging refrain: the synth melody, which here replaces the orchestra, seems like a gentle breeze on our face on a suffocating August day; the vaguely psychedelic piano that accompanies the voice in the refrain is simply an implant of refined class. In this case, class... is water, therefore sea, just like the album title: another popular saying overturned, astounding. At this point, from the album, it would be reasonable to expect a lull, a moment to breathe, but this moment never comes, on the contrary: Massimo raises the stakes and pushes beyond, in tracks like "I Lotofagi" where he surprises us with melodic insights truly noteworthy and with an incredibly similar bass line, albeit in "slow motion", to that of the famous "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden (!). An unexpected funky soul emerges with the divertissement "Il Dirottamento" which at times seems to wink at disco music (a new trend of the time) with that so sparkling guitar accompanying a decidedly histrionic Ranieri in singing. The album closes in great style, with what is surely the highlight, such "Odyssea", which reveals itself as the perfect synthesis of the album: sonorous music but never banal, accompanying Massimo's perfectly tuned voice that offers a great interpretation to be passed on to posterity, with unexpected chills-inducing breaks in the finale.

What to say, probably the artistic and musical summa of Ranieri the singer, just slightly below the historic "Meditazione" of two years earlier. But a "Stephanos" is worth half a discography, therefore maximum score... Ranieri.