Pino Daniele
Medina

I was about 12-13 years old. I wasn't as mature as I am today (I thought Tiziano Ferro was a good singer, you can understand how poorly I was doing!). Nevertheless, I was curious enough to listen to this work by the good Daniele, even though, unfortunately, the period of his decline had already begun (and at the time, I hadn't fully realized it).

The first time, I was stunned, but in a negative sense. I expected something sensational, a hope unfortunately dashed during the listening. The songs themselves seemed trivial to me, devoid of pathos, unable to touch the listener's heart. Then, after a while, I experienced an even stronger disappointment listening to "Passi D'Autore," too slow for the Daniele I love. And for this reason, even emptier than the previous studio album.

Now it's a whole different story. And since I'm on vacation, I take the trouble to revisit certain things I've left hanging. All of this to once again refute a thesis probably as unfounded as I initially thought. This CD is the thesis in question.

After a series of albums neither good nor bad like "Non Calpestare I Fiori Nel Deserto," "Dimmi Cosa Succede Sulla Terra," or "Come Un Gelato All'Equatore," in 2001 it is time for "Medina," another chapter in the latest phase of Pino Daniele, now with a voice (to quote Primiballi) primarily "flute-like" (more due to heart problems or more for the love for that beautiful Fabiola?), rather than harsh and gritty.

To begin, I mention the three big singles, "Tempo Di Cambiare", "Sara", and "Mareluna". I save the second of these, perhaps for the magnificent initial guitar attack of the second, even though when Pino starts with that "Sara sarà Sara sarà Sara sarà," it disappoints... the other two neither seem fish nor fowl.

What strikes, instead, is the initial "Via Medina", a sort of portrait of his native lower Naples ("the same sky of my home"), one of the most interesting pieces of the work, with electric guitars in abundance and oriental sounds in the style of "Ferry Boat," with Lotfi Bushnaq's singing that adds a bit of spice to this already excellent appetizer on its own. Notable also is the drum session by Lele Melotti. But this appetizer seems almost an illusion, because the first blow (remaining outside the singles), from which I haven't completely recovered even today having re-listened to the work, was the disappointing duet between the 99 Posse and Pino: "Evviva 'o 'Rre'"... all due to a chorus simply sappy from my point of view... a bit better instead are the verses sung by Meg and Pino and Zulù's rap.

"Senza 'e Te" is a piece I've reassessed positively, all in all it's a sort of crossover between the melodies of "Lazzari Felici" accompanied by vibraphones that recreate the effect of the early '80s (could there be a bit of "Nero a Metà" and a bit of "Vai Mò" with a touch of "Musicante"? All in their softest phases). Another of the best pieces of the work.

"Lettera Dal Cuore" unfortunately seems to me a song too close to the dirges represented by the earworms like "Dubbi Non Ho" or "Amore Senza Fine", let's say I'd point out Mia Cooper's spoken part. But again, that old uncle Pino we remember emerges with "Acqua Passata", completely in Neapolitan-style, and occasionally you hear strings that are somewhat Arabesque, a bit in the style of "Via Medina"...the third peak of the album.

And "Galby"? Unfortunately, I have to confess that it was the second blow I received at the time I came across the album... that "Galby" repeated profusely in the chorus took and still takes away the soul from a song that seemed destined to become one of the best on the CD. Nevertheless, Faudel's singing in French is interesting (honestly, I don't know him).

The work concludes with three tracks each with its own merits and flaws: one is "Gente Di Frontiera", the last track with Lele Melotti on drums, where those old blues shredding that made him unique seem to resurface in his genre.

"Long steps steps into the future / Even if tomorrow / Even if tomorrow / It will be another hard day"

The second is "Lacrima Di Sale", where there seems to be some citation of "Something Stupid" in the melody, eventually leading, in the end, to a series of well-reproduced horns thanks to the use of keyboards (played by Pino himself). For better or worse, it remains listenable.

Instead, disappointment with "Africa A Africa E", sung with Salif Keita. I would have seen it more as a partly instrumental partly vocal piece, but fortunately, it's not a piece entirely to be discarded. I would point out the skillful use of an instrument very similar to a harp (the so-called "canun" if I'm not mistaken) audible towards the middle of the song.

The CD does not end here, at least not before the ghost track "Ah, Disperata Vita", a sort of choir with multiple voices (which are actually all the same, that of Pino) which, for some reason, seems to me a kind of anticipation of the negligible "Passi D'Autore"... only here this anticipation seems to have come off better.

I don't know what definitive judgment to give on this album... neither a masterpiece nor completely awful. Today, I could say that it has moments that recall the old Pino to whom we are all so attached like brothers, like nephews, like sons.

The best advice, however, is: listen to it. It's not the old Pino, it doesn't have the same intensity as "Nero a Metà," it doesn't have the mastery in the style of "Live Sciò," but it has some flashes that "evoke" him even if in a modern key...

p.s.: I don't know how many of you shared the same burning disappointment I felt watching the concert on Rai Uno last night... a Pino who started off well but then ended up not only presenting guests almost entirely unsuitable for someone like him but also hitting false notes...