Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari
Oro Incenso & Birra

THE REVIEW

The 80s were particularly controversial, especially in the music field. On one hand, drum machines reigned supreme, and bands like The Cure and Depeche Mode dealt with them quite respectably, while on the other hand, singer-songwriter music struggled to find its own identity with acoustic sounds (remember the aberrant digital incursions in a Pink Floyd album - ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’? Well, if it gives you the chills, then you know what I’m talking about).

In Italy, a certain Mr. Adelmo Fornaciari, who was dealing with the Joe Cocker pantomime, decided to reinvent himself by embracing vintage soul, a touch of spaghetti funky, gospel, and an image of a Romagnolo shaman. Here’s the successful Zucchero hitting the mark. Here’s the big hit. Even the title makes us understand how history is built by paying attention to every little detail.

A superb album that knows how to blend the sacred and the profane, with mystical tracks that exalt pure love, even to an Overdose. The sea is stormy, mothers are extremely sweet, and devils dwell within us. Organs and pianos possessed by demons, angelic choirs soothing the ear. In this album, you see the light. The slap bass cuts and sews soul rhythms like never heard before in Italy. As the music progresses, you get the sense of witnessing a true liturgy in music. There’s room for Pink Floyd-like psychedelia, how not to remember the hypnotic verses ‘fai piano i bimbi grandi non piangono’ and the dark synth solo in the splendid “Diamante”.

The concluding instrumental “Libera l'amore” somewhat reminiscent of Sergio Leone, lets everyone go in peace towards our sinful lives.