Paola Turci
Tra I Fuochi In Mezzo Al Cielo

Don't turn up your nose. Yes, I'm talking about Paola Turci, the "girl from Rome."

Remember? The singer with more or less successful hits, more or less dignified ("Sai che un attimo", "Sabbia bagnata", "Saluto l'inverno", etc.).

Don't turn up your nose. I know she's been at Sanremo (she won the critics' award for three years, won a Sanremo giovani). I know she has a poor repertoire. But in front of this album, we need to raise our hands. "Dimentichiamo tutto" is the leading single (single? no radio hit singles are seen here): so let's forget about Sanremo, the critics' awards, the summer hits. Let's try to look at this artist in a less snobbish way. Because, as strange as it may seem to you, "Tra i fuochi in mezzo al cielo" is a beautiful album.

I don't deny that it takes patience to be caressed by the ten tracks of the album, but if you abandon prejudices, I'm sure you will manage. The album opens with two confessions, "Stai qui" and "Come eravamo". They are sparse, minimalist songs. Beautiful. They are not sung songs, they are whispered songs. But not less powerful for this reason: they pierce, penetrate, go deep.

In the same style is the wonderful "L'inverno senza neve":

"and it was at that moment, in the instant when every word became a kiss, that winter arrived..."

it's a song with simple lyrics, made of fog and dissolves. Of abandoned beds and smiles no longer received. Direct and for this reason so terrible.

The rest is no less private, no less intimate. It touches on Islam ("Troppo occidentale"): a woman who wants to free herself from limits, prohibitions, who simply wants to live. Worth noting is the collaboration on bass by Max Gazzè (a great friend of hers). His contribution is also in "Fiore di giardino" and "Quasi settembre": the former touches on the topic of pedophilia, the violence on a little girl who as an adult sees her aging abuser, now on the decline. And it's the end of everything. The abuser is a victim of life. Of time. The victim is torn by the abuser. By time.

"our traveling is an illusion, departing, only to return"

in "Quasi settembre" the theme is death, the moment when the soul detaches from the ground. What does one think? What is the embrace sought? How to find our destiny?

"Lasciamo credere": is yet another gem, again the theme of death, but not of oneself, rather of one's loved ones. The importance of maintaining a bond. The fear of losing it. Worth noting is the cover "Tu non dici mai niente" of Leo Ferrè's song. And finally, a separate story, the masterpiece comes with "Rwanda": Amnesty International Award 2006 (recent news that Bersani won the 2007 one). A beautiful and edgy song. Rhythmic and heartfelt. It recalls the genocide of 94, the death, the stolen freedom, the lack of oxygen, the madness of man.

"when silence explodes, this land will already be a desert"

I know it might seem strange for you to believe or accept it. But this is a committed work. It's a difficult work, in which Turci has spent much and invested a lot. Perhaps you won't like it, but give it a chance, it's not fair to take it away due to prejudice. Because it is undoubtedly art.