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COURTESY PHOTO -- Interscope
Alessandro Safina's self-titled debut is a cross between opera music and pop with an Italian twist.
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New twist on opera
By James Mumper
The Flat Hat
Opera might not be everyone's cup of tea. On his self-titled debut, however vocalist Alessandro Safina attempts to show the world that opera can exist beyond Puccini and outside of the opera house. On his album, Safina fuses his gift for soaring through operatic passages with a subtle pop sensibility, and the results are a pleasant surprise.
The piece is a collaboration with veteran producer Romano Musumarra, who has produced music of just about every genre imaginable over the past 25 years. For an album rooted in opera, Safina's piece is markedly listenable and may perhaps even pique the interest of a few non-enthusiasts. Pop-opera or not, though, without a doubt it's Safina's voice that propels this album.
Blessed with a dark, rich tenor, Safina brings equal parts force and finesse to his music. The lead track and first single from the album, "Only You (Luna)" illustrates this quality. A soft loop of a female vocal leads into a swell of piano and programmed beats, which in turn paves the way for Safina's soulful outpouring as the song reaches its climax.
Accompanied by a chorus, Safina breaks it wide open with his cavernous Verdi-trained pipes. "Only You" is perhaps the album's finest example of the melding of opera and pop music with its spare, yet vivid instrumentation that compliments Safina's dramatic vocal style and its use of contemporary techniques such as sampling and electronic beats.
Clever instrumentation abounds on the album. None of it sounds particularly groundbreaking, but few weak spots compromise the album and the arrangement of both the music and the order of the tracks themselves on the album keep the energy waning and waxing at the correct moments most of the time. Anchored by the sweeping strings and horns of the Orchestra di Roma, tracks such as "Arrivederci America" strain at the seams with the emotion generated by Safina's passionate, evocative style.
Softer tracks such as "Siena" are no less intense but enjoy the easier mingling of keyboards and lulling programmed beats rather than the full orchestral battery. As always, Safina's voice is the prime driver of these pieces. Piano and classical guitar entwine convincingly with Safina on "Il Mirto E La Rosa" to paint a tense, tempestuous picture of love and heartache accentuated by the enkindled guitar solo that closes the piece.
This album is quite obviously pop, but always very Italian and very classical as well.
Of course any remarks about the content of the lyrics on this album are purely speculative, as most all of the songs are sung entirely in Italian.
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COURTESY PHOTO -- Interscope
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This advances an important question: can a listener who knows no Italian appreciate this album? Without a doubt, yes. One cannot deny the emotive power of Safina's voice.
Even if the lyrics cannot be understood, the passion and turmoil contained in the songs shines through thanks to Safina's grand, compelling tenor. A translation of the lyrics from Italian to English in the liner notes diffuses any of these concerns.
Safina's debut is not without some flaws, however. Occasionally he seems to become too embroiled in remaining classical in his sound and so ends up coming off like some sort of Italian-language adaptation of "Aladdin: the Musical. " The classical elements are too prominent yet not really classical enough on tracks like the final vocal track, "Il Profumo Del Cielo." The orchestral pieces sometimes fail to blend correctly with the drum programming and so and the feeling seems forced and flat.
Safina seems to have more success when he incorporates the pop elements with less clinging to classical modes, as in "Only You (Luna)." Also, more high-energy pieces would do the album good.
The album peaks on the first track and seems to relax a bit over the next three or so tracks. The energy level never drops from there, but it never increases, either.
For a first crack at forging a new genre of popular opera music, Safina's debut is solid. There are numerous tracks perfect for relaxing listening and the album lends itself well to intimate situations.
It would be interesting to see what Safina could do over a decent dance beat, since all of the album's tracks are a bit slow and too easy for the clubs.
Alessandro Safina is not the Italian Ricky Martin yet, but with his amazing voice and grasp of pop music he could one day create a revolution in the pop market.
Safina - *** 1/2*
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