Mina
Singolare e plurale

For those few who follow me, ergo, who have read my two reviews: I am new to this site - just yesterday, in fact I wrote my first review - and I mentioned being a fan of progressive, anyway of difficult music as someone used to say BUT, like everyone, I have a weakness. That weakness is called Mina and she is considered, at least for me, the best Italian singer/interpreter existing.

I have been listening to her since March of this year and since then she has rarely disappointed me (musically speaking): obviously, being a fan of prog, especially the Italian one, it was difficult for me to accept the condition of listening to light music. Just think, a few months earlier I had started listening to early De André, the one of "Tutti Morimmo A Stento" and I fell in love with it: but that was something else, also because De André's work is an immortal acoustic masterpiece, which will still be listened to in 100 years.

Going back to Mina: I took a step forward and welcomed her music positively, sometimes remaining with teary eyes with certain songs. There are more famous albums and less famous ones, but Mina always remains a Goddess, with a capital G. Therefore, I wanted to review what is both her double album and her best album to date. Let me state one thing right away: I have not yet listened to all of Mina's albums. Out of 74 studio albums, I have listened to at least forty, but well... Let me introduce you to Singolare/Plurale!

As fans know, Mina's albums are filled (or overflowing) with interpretations of songs by other artists and new original songs; this is especially noticeable in the more recent albums like, for example, "Maeba", released in 2018. Both albums were released in October 1976, during the soft rock turning era. It is no coincidence that the influences present in "Singolare" are soft rock, accompanied by healthy pop rock, which is very reminiscent of the English one due to the arrangements - probably - and the easy listening music that has accompanied Mina since the beginning. One last thing to say about the titles: they are very coherent because if in the first album Mina sings solo, in the second she is accompanied by choirs.

In "Singolare", the best tracks to highlight are "Sognando", "Colpa Mia", one of the greatest songs sung by Mina, "Terre Lontane", which for some obscure reason I tend to compare to "Impressioni di Settembre" due to a callback to the chorus, "Ancora Dolcemente", "Io Camminerò", and "Nuda". "Colpa Mia" is a really well-done single in this album: it starts with folkish atmospheres and then releases, through Mina's harmonious and well-defined voice, a very powerful aura that is found throughout the album: an aura that conveys melancholy, sadness, but at the same time happiness and desire.

After a brief introduction containing the rehearsals in the studio, "Plurale" opens with "Moonlight Serenade", continuing with "C'è un uomo in mezzo al mare", "My Love", and continuing the same with "El porompompero", "Mitchelle", and "Scettico Blues". If the previous Mina was influenced by contemporary genres, this Mina seems to exhume the one from a decade ago, meaning the Mina who sang about and was inspired by jazz songs and singers. Once again, the album engages - perhaps a little less than the previous one - and manages to be a sonic beauty. It transitions from foxtrot rhythms to slow blues, all with a well-justified slowness that is interspersed with fairly well-done acapella singing.

In conclusion: the album is a masterpiece, perhaps better than what, until recently, was my favorite Mina album - "Bugiardo Più Che Mai... Più Incosciente Che Mai" - but so it is.
I hope you enjoyed the review!