Sabatum Quartet
Esse Q

Second studio work for one of the most interesting groups in the genre, and certainly the most representative and original of Calabria Citeriore. A product that, despite being released just a year after the debut album, represents numerous and delightful novelties, starting from the more heterogeneous musical genre, to the strong presence of original songs and an improved sound quality compared to the good "Margiu Profumatu", where, in my humble opinion, the absence of drums was felt in songs that have now become the group's trademarks in their highly engaging live concerts.

The album kicks off, introduced by the famous comedic thinker from Cosenza, Totonno Chiappetta, with a very famous track from the "fake quartet", "Parole e Gramigna", which was also released as a single and for which a video clip was shot in the evocative setting of the historic center of Cosenza.

It continues with songs with popular sounds that embrace all of southern Italy ("Senza Core" vaguely Sicilian in its music, "Alle Messi" drawn from the Salento singing tradition, "Poporiturnella" a brilliant amalgamation of two songs so well-known and ancient that they have no defined author), the sound is very warm and captivating, the melodic instruments (flute and mandolin, and to a lesser extent the battente guitar) blend beautifully with an excellent rhythm section where a fine bass is more supported by the famous tambourines of Roberto Bozzo and the percussions of Arcangelo Pagliaro, than by the former's drums.

Wise is the intuition to entrust the singing part from time to time to the voice most suited to the piece in question, as the group has a wide range of voices very different from each other. Practically everyone sings, which can only be a great advantage in a group like this.

The record flows wonderfully, ranging from true tarantellas to more intimate ballads where the charming guitars stand out, accompanied by very effective lyrics that invite reflection. The highest points are reached, beyond the already mentioned songs, in the "Valzer da Vrigogna", a very bitter piece about the eternal degraded and degrading situation present in the region and neighboring ones. The album closes with a tribute to the Calabrian poet Vittorio Butera, in which some of his poems are read by members of the band and others on an original instrumental theme.

Overall, a very interesting and pleasant album, to be listened to, then taking care to consolidate it as soon as possible with one of the band's numerous live shows, where the alchemy of the seven members reaches its peak in an atmosphere difficult to describe in words on such a cold medium as this. Try it to believe it!