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THE REVIEW
An album from '89 that still rocks today and sounds fantastic!
The good old.. ehmm young (at the time) Zucchero came out with this album which sounded truly stellar back then! Played, sung, and arranged like you just don't hear anymore... And the producer, by chance, is Corrado Rustici (okay, he's also the unreachable guitarist playing on this album, but that's another story), the "Midas" of Italian pop, who in recent years worked with a young Elisa, Negramaro, and lately, even Ligabue.
The album contains 9 tracks, all hits and all of them became Zucchero's classics (perhaps excluding the last short piece "Libera l’amore", almost an instrumental accompanied by some recited verses).
The tracks are all written by Zucchero except for "Diamante", co-written by Francesco De Gregori (who recently re-recorded the song and included it in his own album). A noteworthy cameo in the song "Wonderful World": none other than Mr. Slowhand Eric Clapton, who enriches the piece with his guitar; the story goes that the good Zucchero met Clapton in a bar in Los Angeles during the album recording, and through mutual friends, Clapton became interested in the album's production and asked to play on a track! That's incredible!
The aforementioned Corrado Rustici, the album's producer, also plays the electric guitar on this remarkable album and plays it breathlessly! Listen, for instance, to his solo on the ballad "Iruben Me", but also all the funky and R&B rhythm guitars ("Diavolo in me", "Il mare impetuoso...", "Overdose d'amore") are truly at a top-notch level with a sound and a way of playing that has nothing to envy from overseas session men.
"Oro Incenso e Birra" was also Zucchero's launching pad at an international level, which led the Italian artist to perform all over Europe (followed shortly by the Live at the Kremlin, recorded, of course, in Moscow).
Zucchero "Oro, Incenso e Birra" tracklist:
- Overdose (d'amore)
- Nice (Nietzsche) che dice
- Il mare impetuoso al tramonto salì sulla luna e dietro una tendina di stelle
- Madre dolcissima
- Diavolo in me
- Iruben me
- A Wonderful World
- Diamante
- Libera l'amore
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Summary by Bot
Zucchero's 1989 album Oro, Incenso & Birra remains a stellar classic that resonates today. Produced by Corrado Rustici and featuring Eric Clapton, it presents nine unforgettable tracks blending rock, blues, and Italian pop. The album marked Zucchero's international breakthrough and features timeless hits that showcase masterful musicianship and songwriting.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Zucchero
Adelmo Fornaciari (born 1955, Roncocesi) is an Italian singer-songwriter known by his stage name Zucchero. He rose to prominence in the 1980s with blues‑influenced pop, major albums such as Blue's and Oro, incenso & birra, and numerous international collaborations.35 Reviews
Other reviews
By Emiliano
"Anger and sensuality, frustration and hope, joy and mournful cry that pierce the body and reach the soul."
"With Oro, Incenso & Birra, Zucchero reached the pinnacle of his artistic production, perhaps surpassing even Blue's."
By paolofreddie
"Oro Incenso & Birra can be considered in every respect a masterpiece of ethnic music."
"A sincere blues prayer, a poignant supplication to the divine figure."
