Povia
Centravanti Di Mestiere

Well, after reviewing albums by artists like Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Bryan Adams, I've decided to embark on a rather masochistic and self-destructive adventure; that is, to review Povia's latest album "Centravanti di mestiere". And I'm doing it for one reason: to slam it.

Let's be honest, Povia has never done anything to be likable, and he does everything to be even more unlikable to those who already despise him. However, I must admit that the first album "Evviva i pazzi che hanno capito cos'è l'amore" was genuine in its innocence. It was by no means a masterpiece, but something was worth saving. The music was amusing here and there, and the lyrics weren't that stupid; rather, it was the way they were presented that was stupid, but this can be forgiven for a first work. The second album contained the ten songs of the previous one plus seven new tracks. So, if he had made a single album with 12 songs, it could have been something commendable. The third, largely unnoticed, had somewhat flat music but surprisingly inspired lyrics. Whereas with this new work, released right after the Sanremo festival where the Milanese singer presented the much-criticized song "Luca era gay", we hit rock bottom. The album starts in the most fitting way, with a song titled "It's Hard". Indeed, it's very hard to find anything good in these 10 new songs. "It's hard, it's hard, tighten your belt", the song goes.

I'll stop writing about it because I just can't help laughing. The only tracks that are worth something are the Sanremo song "Luca era gay" in which you can't help but notice a certain effort in the lyrics, mainly due to its almost rap-like structure. A small melodic rap, but I don't mean to offend rap; it just seems the most appropriate comparison. Sure, it's hard to digest all the controversy that surrounded it, but we know, the Sanremo festival now needs it to survive. And with this, the poor unfortunate artists who put their dignity aside just to achieve some commercial success. On the other hand, does anyone remember a song from the last festival? It takes at least 30 seconds of reflection to recall at least one. The other track that stands out is "Single", mainly for the fluidity and catchiness of the music, and yes, a somewhat silly text, but with fitting rhymes. In the other tracks, however, I find nothing good. I reluctantly tried listening to it multiple times because I kept telling myself it couldn't be impossible not to find something good. But I had to change my mind. This was the proper punishment for listening to this album more than once. An album which, I should specify, was given to me as a joke because my name is Luca. Not even the title track is interesting. A football-themed song, dedicated to the football player Gilardino, which is almost entirely spoken. And the chorus is bland. It concludes with a song titled "Ti assaggerò piano" which leaves you wondering if it's dedicated to a girl or a chicken during a bird flu period. I conclude, therefore, by strongly advising against listening to this album.

If you really want to understand what Povia's musical world is like, I rather recommend the third album "La tavola rotonda" where there is at least something good. And, incidentally, it's the only one of his four albums that wasn't promoted in the slightest.

Until next time...