Vasco Rossi
Canzoni per me

THE REVIEW

I admit it: if I love this album so much, it's also because, in my mind, it is indelibly linked to the memories of the most beautiful summer of my life, that of 1998. When I listen to it, it's as if I nostalgically relive those moments...

Obviously, I don't intend to bore you with my personal stories, also because none of you would care at all; I just wanted to show that, in my opinion, one of the reasons for Vasco Rossi's enduring success is also the ease with which his songs become part of your life and connect with your memories. They capture you, enter inside you, dig into your soul, and it's as if, when listened to again after years, they have changed, matured, aged with you, as if they live in your skin.
"Canzoni per me" fully confirms the rule, and despite its brief duration (only nine tracks, but at least there's no risk of encountering any filler songs), it's a great CD, made up of songs of such intensity that it's really difficult to judge which is the best. The ironic "E il mattino" is wonderful, with such contagious joy and brightness that it makes you scream with joy while listening to it, but "L'una per te" is also wonderful, a sharp and aggressive ballad where electric guitars shine. "Io no" and the melancholic "Quanti anni hai" give way to "Laura," which has the spontaneity and melodic vivacity of a folk song, combined with a spine-chilling text.
Then there's the blues-nursery rhyme "La favola antica," characterized by that mix of tenderness and irony so typical of Vasco, "Idea 77," which has a beautiful text and a bizarre arrangement that culminates in a sort of march, and the energetic and engaging rock anthem "Rewind."

In the end, it turns out to be one of Vasco's most successful, compact, and personal albums. Great in arrangements and great in lyrics, but above all in soul: alive, visceral, nervous, exciting. The umpteenth demonstration that the greatest rocker in Italy remains Vasco.