Roby Facchinetti
Ma che vita la mia

Taking advantage of the two-year break at the end of the "Opera Seconda" tour, the three Pooh members, Roby Facchinetti, Red Canzian, and Dodi Battaglia, before the grand event of their 50-year career, each took some solo time. In this case, we are talking about the first of the three released albums, "Ma che vita la mia" by Camillo "Roby" Facchinetti, from 2014. The album consists of ten tracks, the last of which were written by Valerio Negrini. Notably, the lyrics of "Gocce nel mare" were modified over the phone just ten days after the departure of the historic lyricist. The album opens in the best possible way, with a long instrumental overture titled "Il volo di Haziel," dedicated to Roby's guardian angel, and features the soprano Valeria Delleani Caponnetto, the wife of arranger and collaborator Danilo Ballo. A track that immediately highlights the symphonic and pianistic elements that have always distinguished the composer. It continues with "Ma che vita la mia" where the solemn voice of Pooh recaps its own life, between music and love, exactly the same as what Dodi Battaglia does in "Grazie" in his "Dov'è andata la musica," an album that also opens with an instrumental track. We can thus find some affinities in the projects of the three. A more hopeful song in a broad sense rather than about love is "Un mondo che non c'è," the second single released in March 2014 and published by the artist himself on his official YouTube channel. In the album, Roby's voice, however, differs from the "Pooh style;" it's as if, on his own, he manages to highlight aspects not visible within the group. The rest are pleasant sentimental songs still pertaining to the style of the Bergamasque pianist: "È per me," "Vola che non sei sola," "Ieri, oggi e per sempre," "Il tempo di guardare la luna," "Bugie," "Gocce nel mare." The finale is instrumental, like the initial track, as in Dodi's album is dedicated to the immense Valerio Negrini. If in "Dov'è andata la musica" the track is called "Vale," here it is "Poeta." Roby's style is clearly different from Dodi's; however, as mentioned, there are undeniable points of contact for two who have been working together for 47 years. The cover portrays the face of Ours in the foreground. Nothing more than the face can tell and represent the music present in the album, which also includes a dedication to Valerio Negrini, not just musical, but also textual. The album deserves three stars, a workmanlike product where, as already mentioned, one can enjoy spotting Roby's solo aspects, even comparing them with the previous "Roby Facchinetti" 1984 and "Fai col cuore" from 1993.