Vasco Rossi
Vivere O Niente

I am not a fan of Vasco Rossi. In fact, I find him to be quite overrated. And I get a sort of heartache when I hear people say he is the best Italian rocker. In America they have Bruce Springsteen, in England David Bowie, and we... EH GIÀ.

However, every release from the singer from Emilia always causes a stir, as he manages to attract a horde of crazy fans, and he is the joy of his record label because the number one spot on the charts is always guaranteed. So music enthusiasts, even the most hostile towards Vasco, almost always get a bit curious. Because I think that if you’re going to criticize something, you need to explore it first. I’m not one to dismiss things out of hand or for the sake of argument. So I listened to Vasco's latest work titled "Vivere o niente", as I’ve done with almost all his works.

It has to be said that for quite a few years now, the rocker from Zocca has been offering, every three years, the usual album capable of rallying the fans by offering them energetic songs suitable for stadiums, and love ballads. The first thing I thought when listening to this album is that it will definitely work live. The energetic songs are very impactful and have choruses that lend themselves well to stadium sing-alongs. Nothing new, to be clear. The first single "Eh già" might have hinted to everyone that we are facing the usual Vasco. Nothing that hasn’t been tried before, but the chorus works because it sticks. And personally, I appreciated the saxophone piece at the end of the chorus. A small detail that made me smile. However, we are missing a beautiful love song; like "E..." contained in "Buoni o cattivi" and "Non vivo senza te" from "Il mondo che vorrei". But the real surprise of the album is "L'aquilone". As I mentioned before, I'm not a fan of Vasco, I listen to his music out of curiosity since I’m a music devourer, but I have to admit this song gave me chills. It is the only one on the album that I keep listening to without ever getting tired. And towards the end when the music is about to explode, there comes the self-citation "Vado al massimo, vado in Messico". A small touch that will surely make his fans shiver. I believe this will be the most remembered song from this album. To highlight also the hidden track "Mary Luise". A song fans were already familiar with, but which had never been released on an album until now. I also want to mention "Dici che" just to note that it was written together with Gaetano Curreri, leader of Stadio, an artist whom I consider to be a very valid composer.

In conclusion, let's say that the album is smooth and enjoyable and I liked it a little more than the previous "Il mondo che vorrei". It is definitely an album that will make fans happy, while detractors will find nothing of interest. So how to judge it? Vasco gave a lot in the '80s. In the '90s, many sang at the top of their lungs "Gli spari sopra" and "Io no". From 2000 onwards, he releases albums that make the fans happy, including this one. So my score is 3. And it’s a score based on the fans’ perspective and my perspective, because having just taken a trip, this album in the car stereo proved pleasant.

Until next time...