Piero Pelù
U.D.S.: L'uomo della strada

From the previous review, it didn't seem like there were many fans of Piero Pelù... well, those who hate him will continue to hate him after this album; the same goes for those who love him... A couple of years after his solo debut, the toro loco returns...

U.D.S. "L'uomo della strada" depicted on the cover (and also check out the artistic masterpieces inside the booklet, all works by Pelù's fans) is socially much more engaged than before, as evidenced in the album's opening trio: "Stesso Futuro": it begins with a Clash-like guitar, exploding into an energetic and very catchy chorus; "Bene Bene Male Male" is another powerful rock song driven by a sharp guitar riff, where the Tuscan's voice is always on point and gives his best, asking us why we are as we are wanted to be...?; the third track "UDS" may seem like a song by the old Litfiba written by Jovanotti's overly engaged pen, but it's pleasant; the scratches are simple and effective, and here too, as in the two previous tracks, the formidable keyboards of the subsonic Boosta definitely give a heavier and more electronic imprint. "Amore Immaginato" can be the sequel to "Buongiorno Mattina" but is more delicate and sweet, also due to the presence of Anggun's warm voice; undoubtedly the most radio-friendly track on the album; the cover of "The Girl From Ipanema" is terribly summery, it puts you in a good mood even if lightning is crashing outside, although, like the rest of the album, there are many sounds that overload the listening... "Tacabanda" features the legendary trumpet of Roy Paci and, here too, the unleashed Boosta; here it sings today I don't think I will change the world, I will change it day by day; if you're tired of listening to "Rotolando verso sud" perhaps this one won't sound new to you but is undoubtedly more interesting!
The quirky "Resisti e stai" along with the horrible "Gatti e topi" is a negligible moment; in "Raga 'n' Roll Bueno" you can find a "good rock'n'roll" and a chorus that sticks instantly thanks to the legendary whistle also present in "Toro Loco", and thanks to the quick keyboards of Boosta who with this track closes his collaboration with Pelù; "Storie" is a powerful song with a jagged melody and leads to the calm of the dedicated anthem "A la vida"... it closes with "Pappagalli verdi" which is an intense and moving extract from Gino Strada's namesake book dramatically recited by Piero Pelù's distinctive voice on a funereal melody, in my view the best moment of the album, absolutely to listen to and reflect on... it'll give you goosebumps!

The second work of the Florentine is very different from the previous one, perhaps it is more forced and there's a lot of electronic but some moments still recall the past; it is undoubtedly the work of a man who, even unwillingly, is becoming a copy of himself; a man who with one hand opens the little door to the future, and with the other is closing the heavy gate of the past...