The key to understanding this new recording chapter by Cesare Cremonini is based on the idea of travel, both internal and external.
A poetic odyssey that led the artist beyond the borders of his hometown, Bologna, towards distant horizons, in search of energy, inspiration, metamorphosis and, above all, light.
The journey, as a metaphor for personal and artistic evolution, is the lens through which Cremonini recounts his continuous search for meaning and fulfillment.
I went to look for my future through my own transformation
This sonic exploration begins right from Bologna and unravels across America, finally reaching remote and icy Alaska.
Twelve songs that tell fragments of the soul, exploring feelings, fears, torments, moments of pure happiness and overwhelming passions. The dialectic of love and its emotions are translated into a musical language that combines poetry and awareness, in which Cesare presents himself as a forty-year-old still looking for his own place in the world, for a corner that can resonate with his own truth.
Musically, the album is a detailed and luminous mosaic, which fits perfectly into the panorama of contemporary music. Cremonini manages to confer elegance, orchestration and intensity, without ever giving up the rhythm and energy that characterize his sound signature. When Cremonini sits down at the piano he talks about the thousand colors of music. Each song is designed to evoke a strong emotion, with a musical architecture that ranges from delicacy to power, from introspection to liberation.
The title track, which is also the statement of the entire album, opens with an instrumental introduction that evokes the majestic atmosphere of a blockbuster, thanks to a section of horns and timpani that builds an almost cinematic melodic tension. From then on, the album unfolds like a kaleidoscope of sounds and genres, a mix that explores different territories but always with an unstoppable curiosity, in search of new horizons, new sonic frontiers to conquer.
There is no shortage of urban hints worth listening to Lemons (perhaps my least favorite song on the album), the journeys among the synths in Streaming and explorations in the EDM universe in collaboration with Meduza, in My heart is already yours. There's also a west coast orchestral reminiscence in it A poem and the epic nature with orchestral-breakbeat implications of the finale Acrobats.
For this journey, Cremonini is accompanied by some traveling companions who enrich and diversify the musical experience. Artists of caliber who, with their unique touch, contribute to a meeting of styles and influences. Among these, Mike Garson stands out, a legendary pianist who has always been linked to the world of David Bowie, with whom Cremonini duets in the song Dark Room (a piece that, as soon as I heard it, immediately came to mind I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys). Then, in Easy Girls and Acrobats, Cremonini's voice merges with Elisa's Aurora Borealis, where the meeting of two voices and souls creates a truly special moment, far from the concept of simple featuring. Another exciting moment is represented by Saint Luke, a secular prayer that is intertwined with the icon of Luca Carboni, with a voice that becomes the symbol of a legendary musical friendship.
Almost an hour of music, which represents a beautiful synthesis of contemporary Italian music: complete, singer-songwriter, but also capable of embracing global trends without betraying its roots.
A record that I recommend you undertake as a journey, finally arriving in Alaska… Baby!
TO LISTEN NOW
Easy girls – Dark room – San Luca
TO BE SKIPPED IMMEDIATELY
Hard to find anything wrong with the disc!
SCORE: 7.75
1. Alaska baby – Rating 7.50
2. Now that I no longer have you – Rating 7.00
3. Aurora Borealis (feat Elisa) – Rating 7.25
4. Easy girls – Rating 8.00
5. Dark room (feat. Mike Garson) – Rating 8.00
6. San Luca (feat. Luca Carboni) – Rating 8.00
7. A pink dawn – Rating 7.50
8. Streaming – Rating 7.00
9. Lemons – Rating 6.50
10. My heart is already yours (feat. Meduza) Rating 7.00
11. A poem – Rating 7.00
12. Acrobats – Rating 7.25
