Paolo Archetti Maestri – Amorabilia (Nota, 2024)
by Marco Sonaglia – blogfoolk.com
“Amorabilia” is the first solo album by Paolo Archetti Maestri, singer, guitarist, and founder of Yo Yo Mundi. It is not just an album, but also a book that defines, expresses, and preserves eleven songs and eleven poetic compositions, as if they were two soccer teams competing on the field of creativity and imagination. The album opens with “I cani sognano di noi” (“Dogs dream of us and we dream of falling, we have a thousand stars in the puddles of our hearts and a hundred moons to bark at”) with the stubborn strings arranged by Lucio Costantinni and the double vocals of Donatella Figus. “La bimba che sognava Maradona” (“A kick to life and one to magic, son of talent ignites volcanoes and waves, song becomes wind, genius, madness, the madness that loves you, the darkness that hides”) is marked by Luca Garino’s trumpet, Maurizio Castagna’s saxophone, and Paolo Bonfanti’s electric guitar. It continues with the delicate and intense “Il cigno e La Rosa” (“Listen to the breath of the swan and the cry of the rose, the fog that envelops the forest when it rests, watch the river glide slowly over the thighs of the plain, if the sickle mixes pain, let the hammer nail fear”) cradled by the piano and cello, and “L’ennesima canzone sul tempo” (“Time that inclines the planets and the silent run of the antelopes, adjust the wing of my song, turn the propeller of the wind, move the propeller in the wind”), written with Cristian Soldi and sung together with Cecilia Lasagno, who also plays the harp. Simona Colonna’s cello and voice intertwine with acoustic guitar arpeggios in “Baionetta” (“A song is born softly, the word and the heart, slowly they make love, a song is born softly, the heart and the word, finally they are one”). “L’amore trova sempre la sua strada” (“Love always finds its way”) (“The day tears the eyes from the moon, rags are lost in the cough of the wind, lick my hand, calm my torment, Euripides stops, sniffs and barks”) has a backdrop of strings, piano, and vocals by Marialuisa Ferraro, Daniele Gennaro, and Alice Cavalieri. Maestri’s militant anti-fascism can be seen in “Iaio e Fausto” (“Fallen at the dawn of spring, I slap them in the dark, black tarantula, two twin flowers lost in the shadows, the hand that kills, the voice that overshadows, dying young does not make you grow old, but dying murdered does not make you forget, Iaio see you soon, Fausto we’ll be in touch: Two tears falling slowly, slowly”) where we find Simona Colonna and Susanna Roncallo (vocals and guitar). “Estate in piscina” (“May summer in the pool bring all this happiness, leaving a sprinkling of stars on our skin, may summer end its run here at the bottom of this pool like a smooth stone to caress in your pocket”) has a folk-rock sound and is played with the entire Yo Yo Mundi band. “Stelle nere” (“Abandoned by the moon, rare stars dive into the sea, twin lights dancing freely in the reflection on the precipice of the abyss”) is a song written for an Apulian group, C.F.F. and Nomade Venerabile, re-proposed in an excellent version with the melodica in the foreground. “Curcuma e Zenzero” (“Cook aphrodisiac music, fantastic notes will nourish us, cook heavenly music, ethics and sustainability”) shines with ethnic influences thanks to Simone Lombardo’s bagpipes, Maurizio Camardi’s duduk, Laura Merione’s violin, and Elisa Testa’s intertwining vocals. The album closes sweetly with “La canzone delle distanze” (“I drank hunger, I ate thirst, digested tears, stole comets, my gaze rises and falls, in front of the horizon, the song stretches out”). With this work, Maestri highlights his entire human universe, confirming himself as a champion, thanks to refined writing combined with convincing sounds. “Amorabilia” is a succession of emotions, as well as being an excellent debut and a happy confirmation.
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