Pino Daniele
Ferry Boat

FERRY BOAT

Unlike public opinion, this is probably the album where Pino's expressiveness reaches its climax. Not so much for his compositional ability (always and inherently excellent), but rather for the fact that he has managed to create a work completely independent from what could be the environmental, emotional, and sentimental context of any listener.

The music of “Ferry Boat” is neither to be interpreted nor, even less, understood, unlike what happens, as Shelling stated, whenever one deals with any form of art. Listening to this album does not mean filling an empty bag with sensations and impressions, but rather emptying a full one and choosing the colors and shades that we feel like catching at that moment. Indeed, within these ten tracks lies an unparalleled sonic perfection.

“Ferry Boat” is warm, sultry. It sketches out barren landscapes, where finding a bit of shade is a conquest and the only thing that can offer relief from the heat is the music itself: a continuous airflow, albeit of inconsistent intensity. It is Pino who decides when and to what extent to offer respite. The music is to be listened to, not merely heard. The first track, which also gives the album its title, opens with processed voices over a rhythm difficult to stylistically define, perhaps a dance-inflected rock. Pino's voice, with his usual Neapolitan-English, uncovers new sounds, never heard before, and which will not be found again in subsequent works, except in brief passages of “Schizzechea With Love” from 1988.
The second track is “Bona jurnata”, a fantastic Mediterranean rock, the best of Uncle Pino according to the taste of the writer: open guitar chords introduce and accompany the choruses, charging them with energy. Then, here it is. That unforgettable song that makes you fall in love with a woman you've never seen, the one that reminds you that the world is made of nothing but sentiment. The horns could not have been played better, but the highlight is an electric guitar solo played as if it were classical; sharp, raw, it does everything possible to be delicate, striving not to hurt, because that is how this song is, “Sarà”: tender and sincere.

Next comes “‘a rrobba mia”, very amusing and Latin-bluesy, with a bridge-chorus that, as always, aims at Naples. The same happens in the final part of the piece, with somewhat jazzy Neapolitan vocalizations. At this point, Daniele returns to being romantic and perhaps does so even better than in the second track. A legend. “Che ore so” starts softly, but its chorus is the best in history. The vocal phrasing preceding the sax solo (wonderful) is the best Pino has ever written.
The next track “One” enjoys being American, but returns to the usual formula: the American verse is just a mask for an interlude sung by a true Neapolitan; melancholic yes, but with the relentless power to play and face life as they know how to do overseas. However, be cautious: it is just a re-presentation of an old myth. Pino never believed that America was better than his home; he had already stated it in another album. However, to face life, one must convince themselves that somewhere there is proof that one can live better and do more. In short, Pinuccio is teaching us that we must always look for the best and never settle.

“Amico mio”, a musical poem alternating touching moments with fantastic rhythmic parts, crescendos in a way that is proof of true mastery. The hope for a better future returns in “Dance Of Baia” which surprises once again in the perfect blend between the music and the author's intention. From the very start, one is teleported around a bonfire on a beach far from the world, where a girl with jet-black hair, beautiful as the moon shining on her sweat-covered face, dances “finchè nun jesce ‘o Sole”. A stunning metaphor of the persistence to face the world with energy. “‘o tempo vola” opens like the dawn of a new day.
The sound is still like a sea illuminated by the sun reflecting on its surface. After such a day, evening falls. It is time to listen to the final track, “Quaccosa”, which seems to want to remind us that all the days of those who know how to live life must end accompanied by melody.

Rating for Pino: 6.