FISIOGNOMICA

This album has already two reviews and one of them is so good that I can hardly find anything meaningful to add. This album comes after the excellent "Genesi" and it demonstrates the definitive end of Battiato's pop period. It's not an opera like its predecessor. With this album Battiato is back to his successful songs format but the presence of a symphonic orchestra directed by Giusto Pio and the world music influences grown strongly, mainly from the middle-East, make it very interesting.

While Genesi was a "one shot" episode, a temporary excursion in a different musical realm, this album has some continuity with the recent past like in songs like "Secondo Imbrunire" and even more on "Nomadi", whose lyrics are cryptic but without the nonsense typical of his pop period. Another element of continuity is the arrangement of Giusto Pio and the mixture of electronics and strings. The 80s are ending but are not ended yet.

However, despite the previous collections of songs, the songs of this album have a common mystical and somewhat esoteric argument. So even if not properly a concept album, it follows a line.

Battiato sings in Arabic on more than one song, and when he does it, the orchestra supports his vocals with appropriate strings arrangements. Maybe because of this, but I think that "Zai Saman" is the best song of the album even though the "hit single" was "E Ti Vengo A Cercare".

The album is closed by two classically inspired songs. Not as operistic as Genesi have the classical influence highlighted by piano, cymbal and organ on "Il Mito Dell'Amore". "L'Oceano di Silenzio" is another great song for both lyrics and music. The best possible closer for this album and the only song featuring a soprano, the same Donatella Saccardi of Genesi and a full choir. A five stars song for an album that in its entirety is good but non-essential, or better, non- essential but good. (it sounds better).