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Rating: Is it still possible for a songwriter to propose something new nowadays?
Maurizio Ferrandini, a Sanremo-born artist adopted by Maremma, with his latest work, "Pop Kong", has gifted us with something different and innovative, an entirely new work in the Italian musical scene.
"Pop Kong" is more than just a mere sequence of songs. It is a sort of concept album that takes us on a long journey to the Far East, following in the footsteps of Marco Polo through a mythical, fascinating, and mysterious Cathay. The varied atmosphere of the album brings us echoes of China and fragrances of the Orient, among dragons, white tigers, pagodas, alleys, and thousands of other elements that characterize a culture still too distant from our own.
The word "pop" in the title might lead to an association with light, easy, and commercial music, but those who know Maurizio’s work, like we do, know that nothing in his production can be defined as "light," and this work is no exception.
Once again, as with his previous albums, Ferrandini does everything himself: lyrics, music, arrangements, instrumental execution. And once more, we are surprised by his extraordinary one-man band capabilities.
Within the album, we can grasp the fruits of an unprecedented work of musical research, which led the singer-songwriter to generate new oriental-tinged sounds, truly innovative in the Italian musical landscape, even including a traditional Filipino song in the native language.
With the immense eclecticism to which Ferrandini has accustomed us, he moves from slow rhythms to rock, from disco music to pop, from purely Italian melody to one with an Asian flavor. All in a perfect cocktail of strong and profound lyrics and musicality that the singer-songwriter expertly blends, demonstrating the same mastery of the various genres explored and above all, as noted in the cover notes by friend and colleague Enrico Nascimbeni, who sang the sunlit tropics of Maracaibo, in a never banal manner, always with extreme originality and great courage. And it takes a lot of courage to write a piece like "Discostante", in which Maurizio openly denounces the power of politics and its interference in the job market ("I no longer have a job... I am distant because I don’t vote on the left... because I am not on the right"). These are verses that no one has ever dared to write before, being held back by the justified fear of being marginalized by the society of the powerful. Those who, like Ferrandini, do not feel like selling themselves to politics by trampling their ideas and their dignity, are destined not to see their rights recognized and to see their professional merits belittled. Another extremely courageous piece is "Il discografico", a vehement denunciation, this time against record companies imposing commercial and catchy solutions on singers solely to sell and earn more, completely ignoring the artist's inspiration and guiding their musical choices. A song that no one will ever be able to sing at Sanremo.
But there are also softer and more delicate moments: the most elegiac tracks on the album are "Non vivo più", finely introspective, and the sublime "Quante volte", which offers moments of delicate poetry ("and the sky can be touched not only with the soul / and the sea can mirror it if we want it") touching on themes already addressed in the previous album, “Senso unico”.
His love for China finds its ultimate expression in "Sorrisi da Pechino", undoubtedly one of the most successful pieces of the entire work, where Maurizio expresses the contrast between the frenzy of decadent and corrupt Western civilization and the magical and fascinating atmospheres of the Far East, a world so distant from ours in every aspect.
"Wo ai ni" (which in Mandarin means "I love you") tackles the hot topic of environmental catastrophes that are disrupting our planet, unfortunately without discrimination between West and East.
One of the rockiest tracks is "Sangue ipnotico", where the behavior of those who seek in drugs the means to free themselves from the stressful life in a society they cannot adapt to is condemned, taking the wrong path to "fit well into this zoo".
And we cannot fail to mention"Il canto di Hong Kong", an invitation to discover the millenary traditions of Asian peoples, and to respect them without imposing globalization.
The album closes with the splendid "China Cola Hotel", a final tribute to the magical Orient sung so admirably.
Artur Schopenhauer once said: "Fame is to be acquired; honor, one need only not lose it".
With this album, Ferrandini has managed to achieve both goals.
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