Review: TANANAI - “Calmocobra” (Track by Track)

Albert Camus wrote that every artist understands that creating means seeking and not finding. This phrase sums up Tananai's path a bit, as he chose to follow his instincts without forcing success, letting his music speak for itself.

Alberto, Tananai and not Camus, in “Calmocobra” talks about his generation, loves, relationships, situations, and does so with awareness, instinct, coherence and sensitivity.

The second album is always an arduous test, especially when expectations are high and an encore of the success of the debut is expected.
For this reason, Tananai chose to remain calm, without seeking success at all costs.

He wanted to tell his generation and its stories: those of an almost thirty-year-old who chose to make music.

The result of this compositional and creative process is “Calmocobra”, a record that represents an artistic and lyrical maturation, without this meaning the loss of instinct, but rather a greater awareness of his means and objectives.

The twelve songs that make up the album focus on human relationships, in particular the way they make the artist feel and the emotions that arise from them.
Listening to the various Tananai songs, at times, he recalls Tiziano Ferro in his approach to the lyrics; other times, Luca Carboni in terms of modality and dimension.

Musically he alternates intense, romantic and delicate moments with more liberating scenarios, perfect for “making noise”, in his DJ style, even if he has now hung up the console.

Tananai represents the current essence of Italian pop, and Calmocobra he is destined for success.

TRACK BY TRACK

MUD
(produced by Tananai)

It is the so-called intro to the album, as well as the first piece of the new project to have been written and composed. The song comes at a time when the artist has decided to take a break, after two hectic years, to remember what really matters in life and get to know himself, the person he has become. Whatever happens in life, for Tananai it is essential to continue to get excited even for the smallest things, like being enchanted by his girlfriend who puts on makeup and from there writing a song about it. Continuing to feel the urgency to communicate, the urge to tell stories, even in the mud, is all that matters, from when you were little with headphones in your bedroom, to the big stages, surrounded by the public.

BOOSTER
(produced by Tananai, Simonetta)
The song is a journey into adolescence, into the memories of the most irresponsible actions that each of us has experienced.

SPIDERS
(produced by Tananai, Simonetta)
The song, released in September and which preceded the announcement of the new album, is a ballad with a bittersweet tone, a request and declaration of love but also the promise to improve and learn from one's mistakes. It talks about fears and love stories, the desire is to trigger an emotional reaction in the listener. The video is a sort of visual puzzle, where everyone can find their own interpretation of what happens. There is a first reading of the video, Tananai's vision of the whole, but revealing it would be like going and reading the answers to the crossword puzzle.

PUNK LOVE HISTORY
(produced by Michelangelo)
A song with electronic sounds reminiscent of those of the 70s/80s, it is one of the most aggressive productions on the album and tells a “dirty” love story, destined to end badly from its debut, like the tales of gangsters Bonnie and Clyde. Two hearts and an arrest, with someone left worse off than the other. It is the woman, in this song, who is the strong figure, to whom the man is totally subjugated, so much so that when it comes to staying close to her beloved arrested by the police, the woman forgets about any feelings there may have been and runs away on his way.

ENTRANCE
(produced by Tananai)
Tananai style song recognizable from the first listen, it tells the end of a love with a series of unusual images and metaphors, intended to represent how, in the most emotionally difficult moments of life, the mind often wanders and asks itself bizarre questions, such as asking oneself if you know someone who really knows how to cook panettone.

VANILLA
(produced by Tananai)
The song has perhaps the crudest verses that the artist has ever written, on a “sugary” production, to highlight how contrasts often coexist in a single soul.

LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE
(produced by Tananai, Simonetta)
When two people who are already dating meet again after a period of time apart, they rediscover themselves different, changed, grown. The feeling that already binds them, then, is shaken by new emotions, as if we were returning to the early stages of the relationship, to the fears, anxieties and butterflies in the stomach, as if we had to get to know each other from scratch.

POISON
(produced by Tananai, Simonetta)
The first song to have opened Tananai's new recording path, released in March 2024 and certified platinum, it is the story of a love that requires answers, in a journey made of risks in which the desire to live and get involved surpasses the fear of getting hurt. Through a very clear imagery, made up of glances, questions and metaphors, Tananai's voice accompanies the listener into a somewhat tormented story, from which it seems impossible to escape.

NO BORDERS
(produced by Tananai)
It's a hooligan serenade, a love story set in an English bar, between a boy whose only love language is stadium chants, and a girl who, unfortunately, will leave him too soon due to an illness.

SHORT STORIES (with Annalisa)
(produced by Tananai, Simonetta)
The single, double platinum and chosen among the most loved songs of summer 2024, perfectly encapsulates the pop and songwriting soul of both artists, whose voices mix and intertwine effortlessly. The beat which is the protagonist of the melody from the first note immerses the listener in an almost dreamy atmosphere, with the protagonists lying on a country meadow on a hot summer day. The video clip is the story of the two protagonists who, united in a vicious but at the same time romantic game, are able to create a dimension entirely of their own.

MARGHERITA PIZZA
(produced by Tananai)
Characterized by a jaunty, almost sexy production, it represents a genre of song that Tananai had not yet created in his discography, a different, unexplored color. This song celebrates female sexual independence. Speaking about her personal experience, the artist invites any woman to feel free with her own body, embracing those attitudes which unfortunately, even today, are often frowned upon if done by a woman and, on the contrary, accepted if done by a man.

RADIOHEAD
(produced by Okgiorgio)
The song that closes the album is a look back at Tananai's adolescence, when happiness was being with his best friend at the skate park or in the car with the speaker on full volume listening to “Radiohead” and dreaming of leaving a suburb that seems to be too narrow for the dreams you have.

SCORE: 6.90

MUD – Rating 7.00
BOOSTER – Rating 6.50
SPIDERS – Rating 7.00
PUNK LOVE HISTORY – Rating 7.00
ENTRANCE – Rating 7.00
VANILLA – Rating 7.00
LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE – Rating 6.50
POISON – Rating 7.00
NO BORDERS – Rating 6.75
SHORT STORIES with ANNALISA –
MARGHERITA – Rating 6.75
RADIOHEAD – Rating 6.50