Paolo Frescura
Bella Dentro

Paolo Frescura didn't sing, he narrated.

A very unique character, a singer-songwriter who remained eternally anonymous but undoubtedly superior to the masses of his 'peers', he did not come out of nowhere. Born in Rome to Neapolitan parents, grandson of a great Neapolitan comedian and collaborators of outstanding playwrights, and son of theater actors. A brief but intense career, with peaks of success in the mid-70s and a peak in 1990, the year of his retirement from the music world. A versatile and humorous singer-songwriter (notable is the spirit that characterized him in the live video), he wrote for himself and for others. Beautiful, pleasant, and inhumanly sweet songs were his calling card, making him, according to the writer, one of the greatest of his time in his genre. Recommended by the guy with the watermelon on his head, I still wonder today how and why I didn’t know him already. Yet he was there, waiting for someone to listen to him, to give him attention. Something I promptly did, would you dare say no to a guy with a watermelon on his head?

As mentioned, Frescura didn’t sing. He narrated. Why? Just listen to him, read his lyrics, and hear his voice, so slow and light, to enter into a truly colorful story. The era and the genre, as we know, demanded the love song, in which our guy stood out over time with songs that are almost a 'must' of the genre, just as is the album in question. Completely misunderstood by record labels, he lasted about 8 years. Several festival participations weren't lacking, among which I remember the 1975 Festival Bar with the song 'Due Anelli', for which a wonderful live performance can be found online. He didn't only write for himself, as we were saying. Important were his collaborations with other artists of the era, including one of his most beautiful songs, 'Ti fa bella l'amore' (present in the album) for Nicola di Bari (who also recorded it later in Spanish), and various cooperations with Gianni Morandi and Mina ('Dopo un grande amore' which, however, was never released).

It was 1975 when his recording debut took place. The title, just like his most famous song, is 'Bella Dentro'. Let's lay the cards on the table. This more than an album seems like a Greatest Hits. If this musical genre were universally recognized, this record would be the 'Kind of Blue' of light Italian music. Every song exudes sweetness and melancholy from every pore. Never a banal song, never a filler, each of these pieces should be studied step by step by today's aspiring pop musicians, Italian and otherwise. Each song is a story, as I said. Frescura is exceptional at making you imagine what he sings as if you were the protagonist of the story. An uncommon gift among his peers, from whom he stood out for his compositional creativity and refinement. A separate section would deserve solely 'Bella Dentro', one of the most beautiful songs in the light Italian music panorama of the era, supported first by a piano and then by an acoustic guitar (Quanto baciavi a labbra socchiuse/ E dovevi alzarti in punta di piedi/ Poggiavo il capo ed ero felice/ Di accarezzarti le lunghe ciglia). And I understand, that you are beautiful inside. So recites Frescura, giving us a song whose description as moving is an understatement. A love undoubtedly marked by a significant age difference between him and her, narrated in an era when it was so easy to fall in love. The adolescent simplicity and first loves masterfully narrated through the eyes of the songwriter, who sees in the girl, almost seen as a child, the seed of sweetness both young and defenseless. Recommended for everyone.

Forgive me if I delve into a track by track which I usually consider sterile and self-serving, but this time it is complicated for me to avoid it. 'Ma Tu', supported by a splendid guitar arpeggio, highlights more than anything else the delicacy of Paolo's voice. A beautiful ensemble of metaphors featuring a woman, compared to the beauties of nature (Un albero di mandorle, una corsa in mezzo agli alberi, l'arpa magica degli angeli, la mia calda gioventù), all narrated through the concept of the fleetingness of time, repeatedly emphasized by the singer-songwriter. Also released as the B-side of the single 'Bella Dentro' is 'Non andartene via stasera'. The tones rise slightly, a more lively song than the previous ones. Frescura's key is still that: the narrative. This time it's about a quarrel and the desire of both to reconcile through simple and significant gestures, beautiful (Non andartene via stasera [...] Stringi la mia mano, e tutto è già passato). The masterpieces don’t stop here. 'Sei Bella', an apparently banal title, but an exceptional track. Again piano and guitar to support the piece, a splendid reminiscence of past times with a girl from the past, all in a purely adolescent lens, culminating in a phrase that irreparably leads to reality: 'Oggi io sono un uomo che ha paura'. A scary track. After 'Frammenti di un amore' (beautiful but negligible, almost annoying female voices in the background), 'Ma allora è amore', a song that takes a while to channel into the right tracks but that ends in a wonderful refrain (Ma allora è amore/ Questa voglia di gridare il tuo nome contro il vento, dimenticare il mondo). The main theme, the budding of a love, is narrated through the incredulity of the protagonist. Speechless leaves the subsequent 'Felicità', where Frescura describes the subject of the title of which the beloved is also inevitably part, narrated through similarities between the latter and elements of nature. Short but intense. 'Le Scarpe di Tela', the only song that doesn’t convince me at all (it needed an anti-Frescura track), and the very pleasant 'Lo so che mi vuoi', supported by acoustic guitar and sung once again in story form. But deserving so much and so much more is the closing 'Ti fa bella l'amore', among the most beautiful and significant songs in the singer-songwriter's repertoire. A delicate acoustic guitar supports Paolo's singing, narrating as only he knows an encounter with a girl with whom it broke, with embarrassment and the usual niceties. And here the memories come into play (Quanto arrossivi ad ogni tentativo mio/ Quando indecisa sulla mia porta tu...Dicesti io sono qui), the nostalgia of past days and first yeses, the desire to start over and the general fear. The track, like the album, culminates in a beautiful and moving string movement. The song sang by Frescura, but brought to light by Nicola di Bari, who does not embellish the song, which suits much more the vocal timbre of the one who wrote and sang it first.

Frescura didn't stop here. His positive streak lasted a few more years thanks to songs like 'Tu cielo tu poesia' and 'Due anelli' also brought to the Festival Bar. Many songs in Neapolitan dialect, in honor of his Neapolitan origins. The Frescura phenomenon lasted little and ended soon. Needless to say, how little someone who had nothing to envy of Baglioni is recognized today. But you know, in life, you also need luck. Rarely he still appears around, worth recalling his brief participation in the show 'I Migliori Anni' directed by Carlo Conti, where he appears in great shape and still with that humor that had characterized him in the past. 'Bella Dentro', a pinnacle of Italian light music, not only for enthusiasts.