9.On His Own
Let’s take stock of the situation for a moment: in 2006, Capossela released Ovunque proteggi from his turban. A thought that troubled everyone upon its release was: "How will he follow up such an album?" The answer was revealed in 2008 with the release of Da solo. This album is perhaps the most acoustic and intimate of Capossela's works, alternating cheerful tunes (Il gigante e il mago, Una giornata perfetta) with more whispered and slow pieces (Parla piano, Il paradiso dei calzini). The biggest issue with Da solo lies in a few tracks that are decidedly below his average (In clandestinità, almost a reprise of Nutless, Vetri appannati d'America, where at one point he melodically references Bardamù, Sante Nicola). However, despite this, the album flows quite well, and Vinicio even hits upon a handful of masterpieces like Orfani ora, La faccia della terra, and Lettere di soldati, which is likely among the top 3 absolute masterpieces of the artist. Da solo will remain an almost anomalous album in Capossela's production, and we're talking about an artist whose whole discography can be considered a large and massive anomaly in the singer-songwriter genre.
Meticulous rating: 7/8
The gem: Lettere di soldati