Nomadi
Gente Come Noi

Augusto Daolio: Voice and guitar.

Beppe Carletti: Keyboards.

Dante Pergreffi: Bass.

Cico Falzone: Guitar.

Daniele Campani: Drums.

Consistency.

This simple word is a true definition of the nomadic style, and this album is the demonstration that, even with thirty years of career behind them, one can make simple, honest music that reflects their own values; values that the Nomadi have always carried on their skin and which are impossible not to perceive when listening to their songs: the importance of one's roots, honesty, courage, never taking oneself too seriously, and working hard for those who do not have the opportunity to do so. 

The album I am about to review is probably the best ever recorded by the group and one of the most beautiful in the history of Italian music, reflecting one of the group's moments of greatest splendor, which surpassed the test of the '80s (which sunk so many artists of the previous decades) and internal difficulties (culminating in the departure of Chris Dennis and Paolo Lancellotti in 1989) to find themselves in top form at the beginning of the '90s with the successful addition of Cico Falzone and Daniele Campani, the recording of a successful album ("Solo Nomadi" - 1990), and the continuation of an incredible live activity (we are talking about a group with over 150 concerts a year).

"Gente Come Noi" rests on solid foundations such as the lyrics and the warm voice of Daolio, a true flag of the group, the music of Beppe Carletti (the only founding member left alongside the vocalist since 1963), and the production of Dodo Veroli, also with the group since its inception. These foundations are reflected in the sense of serenity and joy that pervades the album and that seasons songs dealing with a variety of topics: from the usual and deep-rooted political commitment ("C'è un re"; "Uno come noi") to social issues ("Il serpente piumato"; "Ricordati di Chico"; "Salutami le Stelle"; "Ma Noi No"), passing through the group's first music video ("Gli aironi neri"), songs about the group's roots ("Dam Un Bes - Ligabue Antonio"), and other pieces whose lyrics bear Daolio's signature to the core ("Ma che film la vita"; "Colpa della luna"; "Cammina Cammina").

Well, what can I say... Augusto's Nomadi are like fine wine, the more time passes, the better they age, and the symbol of this process is the leader himself: with his beard and glasses, he has become a symbol not only of a group but of a style, the nomadic style, made above all of simplicity. He once said at a concert during the tour of this album (as captured in the DVD "Gente Come Noi - In Concerto") "We are a bit like storytellers, our task is to tell stories, always hoping someone wants to listen to them" and, referring to the act of storytelling itself, he continued, "it is one of the most beautiful and almost forgotten rituals of the human race". 

1992 will take away Augusto and Dante (due to an incurable illness and a car accident, respectively), and the group will decide to continue their adventure precisely to carry on this message, and as long as there are stories to tell and someone to listen to them, the Nomadi will carry on with their consistency and humility, striving to give us albums like this one, a true cauldron of emotions, hopes, and dreams...