Riccardo Maffoni
Storie Di Chi Vince A Metà

THE REVIEW

The young rocker Riccardo Maffoni, known to most for his victory in the last Sanremo Giovani with "Sole negli occhi", presents his debut album "Storie di chi vince a metà".

This album is from 2004 but was reissued with two new songs "T’aspetterò" and indeed "Sole negli occhi" in 2006. The tracks of "Storie di chi vince a metà" written by Maffoni, have as a common theme a melancholy not even too hidden behind catchy choruses. The melancholy comes from the fact that we often stop at the appearance of things and do not delve deeper, giving hasty judgments. The entry track, which is the third track in the reissued edition, is "Viaggio libero", a nice rock piece that is pleasant on the first listen (I believe this is the first single). Immediately after, we hear "Ultimi eroi", a Bruce Springsteen-style rock where the heroes are the simplest people.

Hard and rough, even though not initially "Una grande rosa rossa" speaks of a closed love story. The moment for ballads arrives with "le circostanze di Napoleone". In "Uomo in fuga", a man flees his life because he has too many problems; this track is absolutely one of the best on the album. Another ballad is "Tempo ignora", also quite good. The song that gives the album its title, "Storie di chi vince a metà", is very beautiful and talks about people who believe they have arrived but in reality have not arrived anywhere. Then more rock with "Se saremo vivi noi" and the harmonica in "Aspetto un altro po’". The album concludes with "La censura di Lucinda", which is pure rock 'n' roll, and "il silenzio dei Mammut", a ballad that ends the album in a great way.

In short, this young singer-songwriter is one to watch because he truly promises great things; his rock is raw yet also direct. A great album!