Renato Zero
Presente

The most anticipated Italian album of 2009 hit store shelves on March 20. Straight from the producer to the consumer: for his new album, Renato Zero decided to tell the major labels to get lost and do it all himself. "Presente" is indeed written, sung, produced, and distributed by the King of Sorcini. A full-on challenge to the "barons" of the music industry, which the public has decided to reward with monstrous sales: triple platinum achieved in just one week, numbers that are nothing short of miraculous in times of rampant peer-to-peer. Renato Zero managed to break free from Sony two years ago, a split built on a contractual loophole that earned him over two million euros in severance. But the prophet of Montagnola is a man who had considered his independence long before it was fashionable: apart from his early records, when he had practically no bargaining power, he owns the masters of all his albums starting from 1979. With "Presente," he takes an unusual path, different from those already trodden by Prince or Radiohead: the self-made record is not sold online but arrives directly in stores through a national distributor that receives the CDs straight from Tattica, Zero's label. The majors are cut out. The idea is so simple it seems stupid: yet we must consider it brilliant, since no one before him (obviously speaking of established artists) had thought of it. The effect of this move will be fully understood in the coming years: given the operation's success, it's inevitable that many colleagues will follow Zero's example. Consistency and courage have always been the hallmarks of Renato's career, regardless of his musical discourse, which may or may not be appreciated.

This "Presente," however, is likely to win over even the skeptics. It starts with "Professore", a slow track where Renato claims the superiority of his school, the street, over diplomas and degrees. It continues with the pleasant soft rock of "Ancora qui" (the guitars reminiscent of "Does Your Mother Know?" by Abba), and then with "L'Incontro", where Renato, supported by a very seventies arrangement, peremptorily proclaims "Il mio passato non si vende/finché ci sono lui c'è/puoi rottamare il tuo presente/che fra un paio di minuti non vale niente". There are 16 tracks in total (with the addition of a forgettable final lullaby), among which stand out the intense "Un'altra gioventù", the romantic "Quando parlerò di te", and the mystical "Il sole che non vedi". A sumptuous production enriched by the presence of Fabrizio Bosso on trumpet, Stefano Di Battista on sax, and Mario Biondi in the duet of "Non smetterei più". But more than the individual tracks, it is the album as a whole that feels compact, solid, inspired. An album highly varied in its arrangements, with forays into pop-rock ("Muoviti"), bossa nova ("L'ormonauta"), and even ska ("Spera o spara"). Renato's voice, moreover, is always beautiful. Worth a listen.