Max Pezzali
Time Out

When it comes to Italian pop among music "literati", it's quite common to witness displays of horror, embarrassment, or simply smug indifference.

I have always thought that this attitude, often flaunted to the point of boredom, is an indicator of acute provincialism that aligns perfectly with the opposite scenario, namely the frantic and one-sided listening to local pop. Both listening habits reveal a limited ability to have a calm discussion about a genre that, like it or not, has accompanied us since we were born.

If we then consider the figure of the not-so-songwriter-like songwriter Max Pezzali, the atmosphere becomes even heavier in the highly learned salon of the great "connoisseurs of sophisticated music" (except for Edmondo Berselli of l'Espresso and Zanetti of Rockol). Yet, aiming to approach as objective a reading as possible, I take the latest album of the genuine pop artist from Pavia and try to discuss his latest work calmly.

As often happens, the launch single "Torno Subito" is almost the worst track on the album. The melody is overused (brazenly echoing the mood of "Lo Strano Percorso"), the acoustic arrangement is soulless, filled with guitars including a slide that has a somewhat country-like style reminiscent of American FM rock, and the lyrics are absolutely bland and banal.

The second track, "Time Out", however, surprises. The song is vibrant, and the rhythm of the singing is so syncopated it coherently clings to the ghost notes of the drums and to a rather prominent bass line. Furthermore, it is evident that Pezzali's baritone register, which throughout the album showcases a warm and rich voice, travels excellently in lower tones.

Moving on with "Profumo", which stands out for its rather minimal lyrics and a cheeky arrangement that endears itself over time. The next track, "Il Presente", is a very pleasant intimate slow song that perhaps falters a bit on the chorus. This is one of the sore points of the entire album. Often, one finds songs with well-conceived verses that, however, lead into a not very convincing refrain.

The next two tracks, "Esserci" and "Il Meglio", clearly retain a legacy of the old production of the 883 but without the freshness and originality of those years. The next piece, "I Filosofi", continues to confirm an excellent compositional ability that incomprehensibly loses itself, however, in appalling melodic choices, especially, as mentioned, on the chorus.

It's better to skip over "Sei Fantastica"; a saccharine song at the edge of the pathetic, "boasting" an accompaniment reminiscent of Italian songs from the early 90s. An unpleasant episode. We nearly reach the end with "Sottosopra", an incredibly interesting song that recounts "life at the terminal" with precise snapshots of the airport world. The last two tracks, "La Strada" and "Chiuso In Una Scatola", continue the dialogue started with the first track (Torno Subito) but with more promising results; the acoustic arrangements, featuring the old banjo, are a somewhat direct expression of an evident "country" musical infatuation of Max Pezzali (an unsuspected fan, moreover, of Johnny Cash).

Seeing it "from above", trying to detach ourselves from annoying clichés and stereotypes, the product is more than satisfactory. There are no peaks of genius. Not at all. There are good pieces, written with sincerity by a singer who has long described himself as a "song craftsman" (not an Artist). Yet, this now 40-year-old guy has been able to produce for 15 years what is among the best "easy listening" in Italy (a very personal opinion that has not influenced the judgment of the album). Look around and listen (calmly) to believe.