Quintorigo
Rospo

The year was 1999 when, in the depressing landscape of Sanremo, this Romagnol quintet led by John DeLeo, one of the most extraordinary voices Italy has had the fortune to hear in the last twenty years (or perhaps more?), made its appearance: after capturing the critics' hearts with the single "Rospo", a reverse tale of a prince who prefers to return to being a toad rather than continue living in "superficiality, mediocrity, success", they returned with the self-titled album.

The album opens with the funky "Kristo Sì": almost heretical lyrics for a rhythm that grabs you from the first notes… and all of it strictly without drums and percussion (the latter will only be heard in the penultimate track "We Want Bianchi", with a splendid cameo by Roberto Gatto); after the title track, it moves on to another single from the album "Nero Vivo", which with a saxophone opening that takes your breath away brings us to a dark landscape with the hope that "perhaps this sunless dawn still foresees the arrival of the day, and I will wait for it, wait for it…). After the instrumental "Zapping", it comes to "Sogni o Bisogni" which surprises with its syncopations.

Then deserving attention (but is there a track that doesn't deserve it?) are "Deux Heurs De Soleil" (which will later reappear in "In Cattività) and the cover "Heroes" (our guys are fans of covers: they will tackle sacred monsters like Cole Porter and Tom Waits in the future), where DeLeo gives another interpretation to Bowie's song, highlighting his abilities, slipping effortlessly from one octave to another.

As usual, I find DeBaser's five stars a bit limiting in giving a judgment; it's an album of eight and a half-nine; a ten (and thus five stars) should be reserved for masterpieces and hence I don’t feel like giving it (as far as Quintorigo is concerned, their best album in my opinion is "In Cattività"). Anyway, it is one of the best works heard in the last fifteen years.