Luca Carboni: “My words spoken by other singers are emotional”
It was released on October 1, 2013 “Physical & Political” a collection to celebrate thirty years of career of Luca Carboni. An album in which the Bolognese musician revisited classics from his repertoire by duetting with a series of colleagues. “I was thrilled by the idea of hearing my words spoken and pronounced by other singers,” Carboni commented at the time. What you can read below is the review of the album that we published in 2013.
The idea is not new. Indeed, there are now countless artists who do without it. In Italy the passing of the career years is celebrated by bringing past successes back to life, interpreting them together with friends and colleagues. And Luca Carboni has not interrupted this tradition. His years of music are thirty and, in this new album, he retraces them with nine songs that have made his history, with the addition of three unreleased songs at the beginning.
Let’s start with these. The first song – catchphrase rep to all intents and purposes – it is the single that gives the album its title, “Fisico & politica”, co-written with the rapper Fabri Fibra.
And let’s tell the whole truth (the strengthening in this case is there): the Luca Carboni/Fabri Fibra pairing has at first glance all the characteristics of an experiment worthy of a genetic modification, apparently an oxymoron, as if the two personalities – calm the first was spiritual, the second was energetic and concrete – together they gave life to a strange monster, half mullet and half panther. But the paths of music once again proved to be infinite and this unlikely union proved perfect in its bittersweet balance, and even saving for Luca Carboni. Yes because, sorry to say, but his image was fading over the years, to the point of casting doubt – in our critical heads – on his possible recording future. More than that! Carboni is there and fighting with us, complete with a beastly physique on display. Given that this single has given him back oxygen, don’t stop listening to it, don’t let the radio play of this convincing and pounding song be enough, go further.
You will find two other unreleased songs: “C’è semper una canzone”, written by Ligabue, and “Dimentica” entirely composed by Carboni, the first more gigione, the second on tiptoe. But the best is yet to come and the best is in the nine hits chosen by those who wanted to sing them with their Bolognese colleague: Tiziano Ferro, Elisa, Jovanotti, Alice, Miguel Bosé, Franco Battiato, Biagio Antonacci, Cesare Cremonini and Samuele Bersani.
From “Farfallina” to “Come live with me”, from “Silvia lo sai” to “Mare mare” and so on. None on the other, all at high altitude, with nostalgic traits and others that are absolutely modern, just as current are the arrangements that favor strings and wind instruments, in truly evocative sound textures. “Silent people”, in duet with Tiziano Ferro, is the most fitting example.
Also beautiful is the discreet tribute to Lucio Dalla in “Gli bus di notte”, sung with Samuele Bersani, where the voice of the deceased singer-songwriter is a thin veil that can only be grasped by entering it. Last but not least, “Fisico & politica” is well played by world-famous names, such as drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen…) and guitarist Michael Landau (Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson… ). Finally, the production is signed by Michele Canova, whose increasingly international trait is now recognisable, and from whom the idea for this project was born. Now Carboni has the path clear for another thirty of these years.
