Search - Carmen Consoli :: Eva Contro Eva

Chains

Paolo | Italy | 10/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No doubt this is the best album recorded by Carmen Consoli so far. The aggressive anger of "Mediamente isterica" doesn't belong to this cd. No screams, no aggressivity. On the contrary she gives voice to feelings like compassion and benevolence. Basically the "Eva contro Eva" album shows a woman who wants to be mature and aware, willing to reflect about the customs of Italian society, surely a part of it. And by reading the present scale of values such society seems to impoverish day by day. Instead of talking about herself directly as she has often done in the previous albums (we could find only a few exceptions), Carmen reinvents herself as a storyteller. She introduces different characters, often defeated by a society where slander and lack of human values reign, and give them a story and a dignity. Each one of these characters is somehow lost, victim of prejudices, victim of social expectations. Every story has its glory, I would say. Don't be scared of this new path followed by Carmen Consoli. It is likely that some of the fans will be distracted and disappointed by the lack of electric guitars but, in my opinion, this choice is a need required by these twelve songs. Simply listen without prejudice. "Eva contro Eva" is an acoustic album where Carmen and her band try to recover what musically was getting lost with the passing of time. Therefore you can hear the sound of different instruments belonging to the precious Sicilian culture mixed together to instruments coming from Africa and from Eastern Europe. Such soundtrack gives the album a romantic and ancient colour, as well as turning over the pages of a book of old photographs yellowed with age. Carmen Consoli doesn't pretend to be an American rocker in these songs. Proudly she tells her background, her roots. Lyrics are very important to seize what this songstress intends to communicate through this album and that's why I advise you to buy the international version of it as you may find the translations into English and French in the booklet. Last but not least, "Eva contro Eva" includes a couple of collaborations with Angelique Kidjo (dueting with Carmen in "Madre Terra") and with Goran Bregovic (his is the music written for "Il pendio dell'abbandono"). Okay, Carmen doesn't scream in this album but she's ready to fight through her words. How? By declaring this society."

Brilliant Album by a World Music Superstar

George De Stefano | Long Island City, NY | 10/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eva Contro Eva is a beautiful, mature work by the Sicilian rock singer-songwriter Consoli. I love her rock-oriented CDs, including "Felice e Confusa," "Mediamente Isterica," and "L'Eccezione." But "Eva" represents a new direction that should make her the world music superstar she deserves to be. Carmen and her band trade in the amplification for a mainly acoustic sound, featuring guitars, mandolins, bouzoukis, violins, and even a string quartet. Low-key brass and woodwinds appear on several tracks. Percussion, whether traps or African and Arab hand drums, is restrained. One track, "Maria Catena," features the friscaletto, a Sicilian wood flute. It's a lush, gorgeous sound, and the music yields more pleasure with each listening. Some of Consoli's fans have been disappointed that she didn't make another rock record, but it's hard to argue with the brilliant effort she's come up with. Her lyric writing is richer, more subtle, more amazing than ever, full of insight, irony, and compassion. I love the entire album, but some tracks are particular standouts: "Sulle Rive di Morfeo" (On Morpheus' Riverbanks), "Maria Catena," "Tutto su Eva" (All About Eve, and yes, it was influenced by the classic Bette Davis movie), "Il Pendio di Abbandono," "Madre Terra," and "Piccolo Cesare." Consoli just finished a US tour to promote the CD. I saw her twice in Manhattan, first during a press event at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, where she talked and played solo versions of her new songs, and then a few days later, at Joe's Pub, where she and her excellent band played a very strong set that included "Eva" songs and older favorites like "Parole di Burro" and "Per niente Stanca." Hopefully the fact that "Eva Contro Eva" has been released in the US by Universal Latino will win greater exposure for this terrific artist."