Pierangelo Bertoli
A Muso Duro

In our country, a term has been coined to separate pop musicians from others who are more serious, a term that has now entered common usage and has sometimes been overused: cantautore.

Generally, when we use this word, we associate a series of valued characters and musicians with it, and for those who have distinguished themselves in their lyrics, we have spoken of poets. In the landscape of Italian cantautorato, there are some names that have not received particular recognition, sometimes being relegated to the background: an example of this is Pierangelo Bertoli.

The Modenese cantautore has received testimonials of esteem from his colleagues over the years, and others have been inspired by him (the most famous name is his fellow countryman Ligabue, not coincidentally Bertoli sang some of his lyrics), and yet the Italian general public tends to slightly neglect him, unjustly, I might add. "A Muso Duro," an album from 1979, represents one of the best episodes of Bertoli's career, both musically and lyrically. The beginning is dazzling, magical: the title track, besides being one of his most famous pieces, is splendid: one of the best songs about the cantautore, it describes him as a man who needs to be free to write what he believes in the time he deems necessary. A critique of record companies, false poets, critics emerges, but above all, it is clear that being a cantautore and telling stories is a way to live and be happy within oneself. "And I don’t know if I’ll have friends to chorus with me or if I’ll only have unfamiliar faces I’ll sing my songs to all of them and at the end of the road I can say that I lived my days." Another text with autobiographical references is "Filastrocca a Motore", extremely lyrical and personal, where an important element of his life emerges: he was forced to stay in a wheelchair due to polio.

In general, it is a very pleasant album to listen to, suitable for many contexts: it works well when you're in the car or relaxing on the bed. The sounds are lively, cheerful, accessible but not silly. Lyrically, Bertoli shows his way of writing: poetic but not intellectual, there are no quotes, a direct and concrete language, suitable for the protagonists of his stories: generally common people as you might encounter on the street. Among other songs, I wish to highlight "Cose" and "Srotolando Parole", an ideal conclusion able to seal the album. I reiterate the concept: Pierangelo Bertoli should be re-evaluated and rediscovered, both by the critics and by us, music enthusiasts and lovers. I believe this album is the best way to start knowing him; therefore, I invite you to listen to it, it is a passionate recommendation.

"I don't know if I have ever been a poet and I don't care to know I'll fill the glasses with my wine I don't know how it is but I invite you to drink it and the cerebral masturbations I leave to those who are mature enough"

P.S. The two quotes are taken from the song "A Muso Duro"