It’s a really good time for non-English spoken music. But why are the artists focused on using their mother tongue, and why are seemingly more listeners than ever paying attention nowadays?
A few notable things have happened. On the one hand, Anglo-American record labels don’t wield the power that they once did and can’t hand out favours to the artists as they used to.
But don’t forget about giving listeners the credit that they deserve. Many of them discover music online and are brave enough to venture outside of their comfort zones. A good deal of travel, or dreaming of visiting places across the world, requires a soundtrack for these plans. And, not least of all, artists from certain nations are more comfortable with ancient stereotypes, with what their country’s culture is most typically associated with.
What sounds are immediately conveyed to your imagination when thinking about Italian pop music? You’re probably thinking of something lively, but heartfelt, that is heavy on the melodies, on the big choruses, and on lyrics that deal with life’s most important issue – falling in and out of love.
You wouldn’t be wrong. And neither are the artists capable of making convincing, typical Italian pop-rock. Giuseppe Cucè delves deep into the recent tradition of this kind of music with the collection of songs “21 Grammi.”
To do this, however, involves more than merely using a tested format well. It takes even more than simply acquiring the right singing technique or a good producer. There’s a liveliness and a sense of the theatrical that, perhaps, only those born in countries where a Latin language is spoken are able to summon.
Yes, it’s a good time for Latin music. And although it’s Spanish-sung tunes that have largely captured the attention of international charts, Cucè is determined to provide reasons for giving Italian pop the interest that it’s always deserved.
Take the opening track, “È tutto così vero”, as proof. Here, the bitter and the sweet blend just as sweetly as the Italian tongue with rhythms that call to mind modern South American pop. Still, perhaps as is proper for an Italian pop star, the guitars ring clearly, the vocal melodies are easy to remember on the first listen, and everything guides the listener’s attention toward the all-important chorus.
And if the album’s title promises soulfulness, the Sicilian singer provides it with tracks like “Ventuno,” the central piece of the record. Moody and melancholy-filled, the song is nonetheless balanced by a soft vocal touch across the song’s hook. Leave it up to Latin singers to make their emotions known from the onset and stir them in the hearts of listeners.
Because, at the heart of it, this is what, maybe, Italian-sung music does better than pop-rock from any other region of the world. Whether it’s overlit keyboard lines on “Fragile equilibrio,” or 2000s-styled, or gentle guitar pop on “Tutto quello che vuoi,” the singing and lyrics have a warmth and frankness that is difficult to find across most Anglo-American hits, where artists pay so much attention to appearing to be someone other than who they really are.
Yes, for the most part, Giuseppe Cucè writes love songs. Even when dealing with rejection, such as on the classic pop ballad, “Cuore d’invierno,” he’s most certainly and desperately in love.
And, it’s true that, throughout this journey, as all Italo-pop singers do, Cucè is concerned with everyone in the audience having a good time. Songs like “Dimmi cosa vuoi,” or “Una notte infinita” are the kind of songs that you could easily imagine all generations enjoying.
But, where does this leave us? “21 Grammi” is the work of a true-blue romantic, the songs of an artist keeping Italian pop tied to its most familiar form. And, knowing that there are still those who care enough about life to honour it in this way, one can’t help but feel just a little bit more hopeful.
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