Review: OLLY - “Tutta vita” (Track by track)

Olly's evolution is iridescent. An evolution that does not mean a weakening of genuine verve, nor a loss of the impetus and spontaneity typical of his age, but takes the form of a move towards a more conscious and reflective artistic maturity.

This path is visible and listenable entirely in “Tutta Vita”, the new opus of the Genoese singer-songwriter, in which not only personal experience but also the universal echo of time and human relationships resonates.

Olly, supported by Jvli – an essential companion and sound creator – has refined an aesthetic that becomes a synthesis between the singer-songwriter's craft and the stylistic audacity of contemporaneity, imbued with the momentum and vibrant freshness of his generation.

The twelve tracks appear as a collection of narrative microcosms, in which his stories, those of Jvli, his friends, his family, and ordinary people converge. It is the story of a “Tutta Vita” lived to the full, the existence of a twenty-year-old who explores his place in the complex web of existence.

It is pure “Tutta Vita”, the life of a twenty-year-old looking for his place in the world. But it is musically that Olly's evolution is most noticeable. On the album there are romantic and melancholic ballads, such as For two like usthe song with Angelina, a true emotional jewel that expresses the feelings of generation Z; there are also pieces that recall his early days, in which he merged EDM and pop, such as We who.

Finally, the album welcomes The washing machine brokea song adorned with a sax that evokes the eighties, in which Olly somehow reminds me of the first Vasco.

The path is paved, Olly is a champion and All Life it is his trump card.

TRACK BY TRACK

It's a party
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

It's celebration is a motto born on the birthday of JVLI, the album's producer, and it is a phrase very dear to Olly which accompanied him in the most important moments of his life, even on the Sanremo stage. This album could only begin with this song, which is also designed for live performances, it is a song that releases energy. The chorus says “It's a party when oooh / but also when laalaalaaa” – it's always a party, for better or for worse. È festa is a celebration, a fast song and talks about the value of friendship so much so that in the chorus the recorded voices are of a group of Olly and Jvli's friends.

The shipyards of Japan
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

The shipyards of Japan is one of the songs that most closely follows the previous album “Gira il mondo gira”, almost “a dance hybrid”. Born from a bass line, it tells of that moment of fear and uncertainty that anyone finds themselves experiencing at a certain moment in life, when they understand that it's time to keep their mind steady and their feet on the ground. For Olly, the Japanese shipyards represent speed: “in my head I have this idea that the Japanese shipyards are super efficient, they are created and closed very quickly”. The second verse is aimed at the recording industry of which Olly is also part, comparing the common thought according to which the life of artists would always be electrifying with their commitment, instead, in making it clear that those who make music are not superheroes, but a very normal person.

For two like us with Angelina Mango
Written by Federico Olivieri, Angelina Mango / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

For two like us with Angelina Mango is the last single released before the album's release, created together with singer-songwriter Angelina Mango. It is the song of which Olly has the most vivid memory. For two like us talks about relationships and the complexity of the relationships that we all experience, whether it is love, friendship, family or even short and casual encounters; of how we grow and change when we have to deal with a person who is different from us in small things, which however are a reflection of larger differences. The song is at the same time awareness and acceptance of the fact that every human relationship is unrepeatable and unique, but also of how despite experiencing the strongest of feelings, sometimes this is not enough to keep two people together.

Those memories there
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

Those memories there was one of the last songs written, in which Olly tells how he imagines himself in a few years, he sees himself as an old man, with a beautiful family, in a hammock and on a distant island. Enriched by an urban sound with many guitars, Those memories there has a strong emotional component which however keeps a smile on the faces of those who listen to it from start to finish

We who
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI, additional production by Enrico Brun

Noi which in terms of sound is the song that is most closely linked to Olly's first album of unreleased songs, it is the song of freedom, this song gives the idea of the type of frenzy that the singer-songwriter expects from this world, a free world, in which people, for example, decide to get tattoos just for the fun of it. It's a rough piece, written to be played live and they sing along with the audience.

Devastating
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

Devastante represents the beginning of an increasingly singer-songwriter journey for Olly, it is the summary of a vision of unconditional love, the story of all the good that has existed between two people and that resists despite the difficulties, focusing on the beauty that has existed. Devastante is a ballad with a pop sound, which expresses the desire to build increasingly stable and long-lasting relationships, with the fear and awareness of what this may entail.

We don't need to make love
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

We don't need to make love is a ballad that sets to music the attempt to avoid a profound confrontation between two people, a sort of defense mechanism. When the time comes to truly confront each other, a reaction of closure and protection often arises, which leads to a wall being built between two people, making an authentic connection difficult. This process leads Olly to imagine a symbolic betrayal, represented by the radical change between the first verse and the second part of the song.

On the same boat with Enrico Nigiotti
Written by Federico Olivieri, Enrico Nigiotti / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

Above the same boat with Enrico Nigiotti is a song that does not necessarily talk about the love between two people but which shows how Olly lives life, his daily life together with his family and his friends, that is, everyone is in the same boat, the image is precisely that of a united group in which everyone sings this song together, uniting their voices, one with the other, almost transforming itself into a celebration of the purest and most sincere love. The collaboration with Enrico Nigiotti is the result of a close, albeit recent, relationship between the two singer-songwriters and was the last piece inserted in Tutta vita.

The washing machine broke
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

The washing machine broke is a song built on the description of some simple and common situations. Within the album there are some songs that are more direct and are at times more complex while La Lavatrice è Roppo is voluntarily a lighter song, “I came from very intense, complex and even dark writing sessions, I needed a a little lightness…and here's this song”. The song clearly has several references to 80s music, thanks also to the use of the sax which refers to great singer-songwriters such as Antonello Venditti or Vasco Rossi.

Doodles
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

Scarabocchi is the lullaby of the album which contains a deep sense of vulnerability and a very intense personal reflection on the complexity of relationships and the confrontation with one's own sensations. Scribbles are a complex of emotions that intertwine between fear, desire for closeness, guilt and a profound awareness of what has been neglected or lost. A confession that, despite its pain, finds its sweetness, like a lullaby that lulls even the most fragile and imperfect parts of every human being.

At the top of my lungs
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

A out loud is the first single from Tutta vita. It is the story of when you happen to feel momentarily lost in life, having emerged from a series of moments that have had a strong impact on your life, in which you find yourself without a compass to remember which direction you should go in, almost becoming a vicious circle. from which things are only seen superficially – And I haven't gotten to the bottom of things for a while – Olly sings. It talks about the feeling of paralysis in the face of good moments, that feeling of having to feel strong emotions, but not being able to do so

The champion
Written by Federico Olivieri / Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod
Produced by JVLI

The sample is the track of greetings and hugs, the perfect outro of the album, in which Olly tells the story of a person who faces everyday life, a demanding and substantial life made up of ups and downs. The message behind this text is actually very simple: “you can see the champion here” is a phrase that, once again, belongs to Olly and his group of friends and is jokingly used to give strength in times of difficulty. The champion thus becomes a hymn to perseverance and the ability to get back up, an invitation not to give up even when life becomes complicated.

SCORE: 7.00

It's a party – Rating 6.75
The construction sites of Japan – Rating 7.00
For two like us with Angelina Mango – Rating 7.00
Those memories over there – Rating 7.00
We who – Rating 7.00
Devastating – Rating 7.00
We don't need to make love – Rating 7.00
Above the same boat with Enrico Nigiotti – Rating 6.75
The washing machine broke – Rating 7.00
Scribbles – Rating 6.75
At the top of my lungs – Rating 6.75
The champion – Rating 7.00