Author: Jernej Vene
Artist: Ramazzotti, Eros
Label: Universal Music Group
Release: 2012
Duration: 51:36
Rating: 3.9/5
We’ve known Ramazzotti for almost thirty years as one of Italy’s most popular pop singers. The secret to his long-running success is a blend of European pop, passionate Italian song and intense, classic, easygoing, joyful pop rock. Over a rich career he has racked up more than 30 big hits that still get airplay on most radio stations around the world. Savvy Italian performers, Ramazzotti among them, also record their albums in Spanish and English, since South America is a huge market alongside the English-speaking one and plays a major part in those big sales numbers.
The past decade may not have been exactly kind to standard pop rock, but Ramazzotti stubbornly and successfully holds his ground against the assault of the younger crowd. He releases records less often and with more deliberation, but still with great success. Noi (that’s “We” in Italian) is his twelfth studio album. As he put it himself, life means freedom of spirit and the urge to escape and take risks, but on the other side it means stability and a need for calm. The album title is meant to bring those together, help improve things and rise above the left-right divide. Since 1993 he has mostly recorded in the US, where he always hires the best session musicians. This time is no different, and some of them are also members of his live band. Noi is the first album without his longtime lyricist Adelio Cogliati, and longtime producer Claudio Guidetti has also said goodbye. With these moves, Eros Ramazzotti is looking for the fresh musical ingredients that matter for a long and successful career. The main new collaborators are Luca Chiaravalli and Saverio Grandi. Refined pop that goes down easy is seriously demanding craftsmanship, since the creators put huge effort into interesting melodies, the right balance of instruments and a final sound that has to be distinctive enough, but not so much that it bothers the listener, while still nudging them into really listening. In terms of arrangements and production, Eros Ramazzotti is on predictable, more or less extremely demanding and high-quality ground. Not a single bit of any track on Noi is left to chance, everything is in its place, which thrills his loyal fans. He has been a perfectionist throughout his musical journey, and that has often paid off. But music isn’t just a set of notes, lyrics matter too, so it’s important that the messages hit the mark as well. His team has always known how to reach out to interesting artists to enrich and liven up his music. Noi brings quite a few collaborations: the Belgian band Hooverphonic, the Milan rap collective Club Dogo and the Italian vocal trio Il Volo. Ramazzotti is a master of tender ballads, and he put three very typical ones on Noi. On Io sono te (I Am You) he gets help from actor Andy Garcia, and on the energetic Fino all’ estasi (To Ecstasy) from former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger. Elsewhere, Ramazzotti dedicates the track Polaroid to his hometown, as he was born in the film city of Cinecitta near Rome.
Noi is built on solid foundations, the kind you sometimes need to escape the dark grind of everyday life. Some people think of freedom as a fat wallet that can buy anything money can buy, but here Ramazzotti is talking mostly about a spiritual escape, one that frees the soul and makes people kinder and better. On this latest record Eros stays in his trademark, classically tinged pop rock, so the album’s vibe should win over new and old admirers alike. Noi continues the Roman singer’s shining musical journey. Beyond his charm and passionate singing, all you fans of Italian canzone and top-notch pop rock can enjoy excellent musical performances. Ramazzotti has pulled off an album that, alongside the well-known sounds, brings some new tricks that keep interest in his work running high.
Lineup
Eros Ramazzotti – vocals
Tim Pierce – guitars, keyboards
Biagio Sturiale – guitars
Saverio Grandi – keyboards
Reggie Hamilton – bass guitar
Paolo Costa – bass guitar
Josh Freese – drums
Andy Garcia, Nicole Scherzinger, Il Volo, Hooverphonic, Club Dogo – voices
Production
Eros Ramazzotti, Luca Chiaravalli
Tracklist
1. Noi (3:53)
2. Un angelo disteso al sole (3:24)
3. Questa nostra stagione (3:37)
4. Io sono te (feat. Giancarlo Giannini) (3:32)
5. Fino all’estasi (feat. Nicole Scherzinger) (3:45)
6. Abbracciami (3:16)
7. Balla solo la tua musica (3:50)
8. Infinitamente (3:47)
9. Polaroid (3:33)
10. Sotto lo stesso cielo (3:40)
11. Una tempesta di stelle (3:51)
12. Testa o cuore (feat. Club Dogo) (4:05)
13. Così (feat. Il Volo) (4:17)
14. Solamente uno (feat. Hooverphonic) (3:06)
