Mercanti di liquore
La musica dei poveri

The Music of the Poor, a very explicit and clear title, allows you to understand right away the themes that will be addressed in the album. In this composition of theirs, unlike the first CD, this group, which began by reinterpreting in folk version the pieces of the timeless De André, has included more of their own pieces, thus showing that their talent is not only in excellently playing covers.

The compact disc opens with a particular intro, the speech of the heretic priest, taken from the movie "Il Marchese del Grillo." The second track is a wonderful ballad, very entertaining "Apecar," followed by the beautiful "Lombardia," a song as slow as it is beautiful, one of the many wonderful original tracks by the Merchants, along with "La musica dei poveri" (the song that gives the CD its name). "L'eroe" together with "El Pueblo entiende la poesía" are tracks with harsh, combative tones, aptly explaining the situation in which the poor people find themselves, the central theme of the whole album. "Il viaggiatore" "Cecco il mugnaio" "il vigliacco" "Santa Sara" "Viva la rosa" "Lacrime amare" all their very successful works, especially the closing track, a very sad and beautiful song, the only track where the central theme is not the fight against something, but love, love that triumphs over everything, even hate.

The Music of the Poor is definitely a remarkable step forward for the Monza group, since it is filled to the brim with self-produced tracks, apart from the Neapolitan protest song "brigante se more," an excellent work with danceable tracks, wonderful slow songs, and unclassifiable songs, if not for their beauty.
In this CD, the group wanted to express, through their songs, their dissatisfaction with those who think they are powerful, those who want to crush us, those who are false, those we can stand up to only with disobedience and always gritting our teeth in a struggle.

A CD, I believe, is a must-have for those who follow these singers, or want to get closer to the folk genre.
Personally, it took me quite a while to detach from this CD.

I conclude this review with a quote from the Merchants about this CD: "We would like all the songs we have driven along the roads of a different life to give rise to many disobedient beauties.".