Olivia Newton-John
Olivia

If in an antique market, a record fair, or in your neighbor's basement you find, or rather discover, an Olivia Newton-John record from the early '70s, take it blindly because it will hardly disappoint you.

They are rare, in Italy they never arrived except as imports, but they are always worth it. Crystal clear voice, perfect production, the clean image of the young Australian in her sincere freshness emerges from the cover of this 1972 "Olivia", the second album by Newton-John. "Grease" is light years away, as is the flashy disco of "Xanadu" or the satire of "Physical", the songs are covers of many tracks with George Harrison's spirited "What is Life" standing out, and together with a country version of "Behind That Locked Door" they're captured from the exceptional triple "All Things Must Pass" from which Olivia had also borrowed George's version with slide guitar of Dylan's "If not for You" the previous year.

Beautiful, beautiful because it is relaxing, beautiful because it is sweet, beautiful because it starts with an astronomical song like "Angel of the Morning", a timeless rock'n'roll standard. There is that fine country-pop flavor, light but impeccably packaged by excellent musicians and the faithful producer John Farrar; you listen to it in moments when you need simplicity and fresh air.