"Cerco Tiempo"
This album is their latest effort released in late 1996. 99 Posse is one of the groups which has its roots in the centri sociali of large urban areas in Italy. In this case it is Napoli. This album definitely has a harder edge to it than that of a few releases ago including the effort which contained O' Documento and Curre Curre Guaglio. There is more anger in the songs and a greater identification in the songs with the isenfranchised of society. The mixture of sounds, rhythms and images is quite interesting. This is one more geared to fans than novices of this form of expression and content. If Sud Sound System and Neffa ring a bell, then this album is strongly advised.
Alex Baroni
"Alex Baroni"
His self-titled album (tied to Sanremo 97), which is his first, is an excellent effort. Baroni took home the special jury prize for best new male voice. His performannce on the last night of competition for new artists was absolutely inspired; he was the song. Cambiare earned him respect as a potential bestseller. Dentro di Te is quite good as are Male che Fa Male, Io ci Saro' and Parlo Di Te e Di Me. Sometimes you need to take the risk and move away from the established artists for something new and actually worthwhile. He seems to have learned many lessons from his work as a part of the Sanremo chorus a year earlier.
Domino
"Domino"
Her first self-titled album is quite a revelation! Domino impressed me
with the depth of her voice. It is obvious the special jury at Sanremo felt the
same way as it awarded her the prize for best new female voice. To appreciate
the album, dim the lights, sit back and let her voice fill the room with its
power and deep, sensual quality. For a young singer, Domino displays the range
you would expect from someone who has been in the business years longer. Her
voice surrounds you and masters the notes of pop songs and ballads equally well.
Take a risk and go for the album. The sad part is that her song was left off
the Sanremo 97 compilation by Sony. Io Senza Te is from the festival and worth
the price of the album as are Uodelon, Portami Via, Una Lacrima Scende Giu' and Nohai (ora l'amore).
Jovanotti
"Lorenzo 1997 L'Albero"
"Lorenzo 1997 L'Albero"--Is the title of Jovanotti's latest effort. He certainly
has come a long way from the days of La Mia Moto. This album is a wonderful
work that will give you a good insight into his music. It does not have the rap
filled songs of two albums ago. Rather, Jovanotti comes closer to the Paul
Simon album "Graceland" as he shows his ability to blend a wide variety of musical
traditions from all over the world to create some pieces that do not clash but
seem a natural progression of one to the other. The songs can be funny,
touching and, overall, very pleasing. If you've been waiting to try Jovanotti,
this is the time to dive in without second thoughts. Bella is a catchy love
song and it is not the only one. If you are looking for the obligatory song
about the year 2000, give a listen to Il Fiore del 2000-- it uses some
interesting African chorus arrangements to create a song that can be both lively
and sad. Per La Vita Che Verra' is also quite good as are Il Tamburo and
Canzone Piccola.
Fausto Leali
"Non Solo Blues 2"
Once again Leali returns with all album made up of blues song; some of them Italian versions of American songs. His biggest asset is his ability to take a song to new levels with his unique voice. You will never mistake Leali for Morandi. The album features Non Ami Che Te which he sang at Sanremo 1997 but was not included in the Festival compilation. After listening to the album again it started to grow on me. It has a certain mellow quality tinged with the sadness Leali's voice seems to impart on many songs. If
you are a Leali fan, you may wish to add this to your collection. If you want to get a better idea of his music, look to earlier compilations with a greater variety of songs.
Marina Rei
"Donna"
Marina Rei seems to be one of the singers who gets overlooked but has the
range and musical knowledge to guarantee success. Bold, brassy, jazzy, gospel
inspired and funky can all be used to describe her work. My only fear is that
some of her pieces may sound repetitive due to the arrangements. "Donna" is her
new album and contains a few worthwhile cuts. Dentro Me from Sanremo 97 is
quite good and enjoyable with the lush softness she is able to convey during
parts of the song. Musica, Donna, E' Tardi Ormai, Due Come Noi and Sono Mia are nice examples of what Marina Rei can do. She is willing to experiment and to draw from her American musical experiences to create challenging pieces. You should be a fan of the genre before committing to the entire album.
Silvia Salemi
"Caotica"
"Caotica" is the name of the album and that is also the partial
title of the song that opens and closes the album. The second version is a
remix edition that actually does an interesting job of uniting the various
trends in music today including an interesting chorus in a song about the end of
the century. Most intriguing is Salemi's new style and look. Her first
appearance at Sanremo 96 showed a voice with promise captured in a happy, pop
look and an album that lacked focus and failed to live up to the promise. 1997
finds her with a hipper look, better arrangements and an album of interest for
those who want to dabble. I cannot promise you will be happy, but you will get
a good dose of her range and potential. I do not think she is yet comfortable
with one particular style. Danza Caotica is fun at times--sort of like "We
Didn't Start the Fire" in Italian. Look for A Casa Di Luca from the festival and
C'e' che c'e' che c'e'. You may want to hold off until you hear more.
Syria
"L'Angelo"
She took the new artist category by surprise by winning and beating out heavy favorites like Marina Rei. Her 1997 release shows much greater maturity than last year's freshman effort. The disc features seven songs meant to showcase her ability to sing songs with a mostly midrange beat with some pop thrown in for good measure. Syria is still a work in progress who will gain fans and following as she matures in both her voice and capabilities.
You might want to add this one to your collection if you are looking for a good up and coming artist who also has a refreshing, wonderful personality as demonstrated at the 1997 Sanremo Festival.
Tosca
"Incontri e Passaggi"
"Incontri et Passaggi" is Tosca's 1997 effort which follows up on her
success with Ron in Sanremo 1996 with Ti Vorrei Incontrare Fra Cent'Anni.
Frankly, I keep hoping for more but somehow manage to leave a little
disappointed. Tosca has an excellent voice that is capable of a wide range of
styles and rhythms. However, the right mix of music and words has yet to come
togehter effectively. Most songs have a slow, mellow, medium sound which fails
which fail to distinquish one from the other. The arrangements are quite good
on most of the titles, but there seems to be a little something missing which
would push the album into the must have category.
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