Nikki
Rock Normale

It is 1994 when "Rock Normale" bursts into the Italian music scene. This is the first and only album released by Nikki, known in real life as Fabrizio Lavoro (Foggia, 7/7/71), a budding young rocker who has been making ends meet since 1990 by hosting the "Rock The Nation" program on Radio Dj focused on the colorful and vibrant world of Anglo-American hard n' heavy. The young Fabrizio, already having a decent live activity under his belt with the band Affexxion, after debuting as a solo artist in 1992 with the single "Te ne vai o no," takes the big step in 1994 and, under the protective aegis of Claudio Cecchetto, records this album, nowhere to be found today. Produced by Paolo Peroni and Marco Guarnerio, fresh from the success of 883, recorded at Marton studios in Milan, the album features Nikki himself (author of all guitar solos) and Marco Guarnerio with the support of Andrea Leonardi and an electronic drum.

Nikki in Japanese means 'diary.' And listening to this album is like leafing through the diary of a teenager who grew up in the 1980s on bread and rock n' roll. The 10 songs perfectly capture moods, emotions, dreams, illusions, bitterness, disappointments, and desires of the young rocker. Soaked in the original, 'rebellious,' playful spirit of rock n' roll, raw, loud, essential, the album stands in sharp contrast to any intellectualism that wants to cage or contain the adolescent vitality.

The 10 songs are a perfect example of Italian rock n' roll, where power and melody, energy and fun come together to give life to a product as unique as rare. Echoing the stylistic features of the best star-spangled hard rock, Nikki injects massive doses of 883 and Vasco Rossi. Granite riffs, scorching solos, abrasive and hyper-realistic lyrics, catchy and captivating melodies with memorable hooks, singing somewhere between cheeky, ironic, and defiant, lively and contagious choirs: these ingredients create a real explosive mixture that cannot fail to leave indifferent the young Italians of the early '90s who grew up with the myth of long hair, Harley Davidsons, leather jackets, and ripped jeans, for whom the ultimate goal in life, the existential zenith, is to physically possess a woman with a high, granite-like backside and firm, voluptuous breasts.

The opening is entrusted to the title track "Rock Normale," a true manifesto of the album as well as an ante-litteram dedication aimed at all the frigid intellectualoids who listen to music with their brains and not their guts (see debaseriani, scaruffiani, ondarockiani). Introduced by a deadly raw and explosive riff, the track boasts the collaboration of Jovanotti, who penned the lyrics that closely recall the poetics of "Sei Come La Mia Moto." The piece is enhanced by an excellent solo in which Nikki exhibits a flamboyant tapping worthy of the best Van Halen, as our hero passionately soars over the strings of his axe.

"Esagerata," after a brief organ introduction, takes us back to hard territories with a raw, powerful riff clearly influenced by Van Halen and an "Oh, Yeah" worthy of the best David Lee Roth. The keyboard inserts perfectly blending with the guitars make the arrangement simply commendable. The lyrics incisively express the hormonal storm triggered in the young rocker by a sweet and charming girl.

"Fammi Quello Che Vuoi" is a semi-ballad that opens with a determined arpeggio, supported by a pleasant rhythmic background, a catchy chorus, and airy backing vocals. All seasoned once again with an excellent guitar solo.

"Non Sai Che Cosa Ti Perdi" is instead introduced by a delicate arpeggio of clear AOR ascendance, then explodes into a raw riff of clear AC/DC school. The syncopated pace of this rhythm n' blues makes the rocker’s outburst after being abandoned by his girl even more poignant, much like the liberating solo, in the vein of the master Angus Young.

"Tagliati I Capelli" is the perfect portrait of the rebellious long-haired teenager who proudly flaunts his mane despite or precisely because of the bourgeois, well-mannered conformists surrounding him everywhere. A rocky, primal riff, a flamboyant solo, and gritty rhythms make this song a true must, cathartic for every young rocker. The hyperrealistic text paints a scenario that seems straight out of an '80s teen movie.

"Chiedigli Se C'Ha Un'Amica" is inspired by a scene from the film "Non Ci Resta Che Piangere" and is indeed introduced by the voice of Roberto Benigni alias Saverio and the insistent request he makes to Mario (Massimo Troisi). A primordial riff engraved in stone for a piece that is pure adolescent epic.

"A Me Va Bene Anche Così" slows down the pace of the album. A sweet arpeggio for a softer song that strongly recalls the atmospheres of early Harem Scarem. Here too Nikki brings out a sublime, melodic, expressive solo, making the guitar literally speak. The lyrics convey a message of optimism, quite countercurrent at the time, dominated by the nihilistic and self-destructive poetics of the Seattle gurus.

"Stai Pure A Guardare" brings us back to the rougher territories of star-spangled hard rock. Masterful guitar interplays and pleasant choirs support lyrics shouted with the right dose of brazenness, as a liberating outburst. Once again, the piece is adorned with a flamboyant solo, with Nikki positioning himself as an Italian guitar hero.

"Fai Pure L'Amore" is an upbeat tempo, lively piece filled with an effective arpeggio and an obsessive chorus in which Nikki mocks the hypocritical morality of the Italian girl and her double standards: nun in public, whore in private.

The album closes with "L'Ultimo Bicchiere," a track signed by the Pezzali/Repetto duo, incredibly discarded from their "Nord Sud Ovest Est" and recycled especially for Nikki, who gives it a great rock-ballad guise, enriching it, as always, with one of his legendary solos. The hyperrealistic lyrics reveal a provincial bar existentialism behind which it's easy to discern the never-forgotten genius of Mauro Repetto. The whole is sealed by the brief appearance of Max Pezzali in the final verses.

In conclusion, an album essential, candid, genuine, and naive. An album sociologically important, oozing eighties spirit from every pore. Disarming in its naive rawness, with the gravitas of cotton candy. Self-ironic and cathartic in its exquisite simplicity. In a few words: a CULT.

Oh, I almost forgot: Listen At High Volume.