A fine return to form on Tiziano's fourth album
Veggiechiliqueen | 03/11/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"After being madly smitten by Tiziano's stellar debut Rosso Relativo and his sophomore follow-up 111 Centoundici, I was underwhelmed by his third album Nessuno è Solo. That all changed when I heard the early positive reviews of Alla Mia Eta, which was released in Italy in November 2008.
The thirteen songs (twelve originals and one bonus English-language translation starring a duet with Kelly Rowland) are a mix of ballads, a smattering of hip hop, and uptempo. Indietro / Breathe Gentle is strongly influenced by R&B, while Il Tempo Stesso is a nod to the 1980s. La Traversata Dell'Estate opens with a mesmerizing horn section that morphs into synth-heavy vocal acrobatics reminiscent of his first album. Per UN po' SPARIRÒ is the purest nod to Tiziano's rapid-fire rhyme from earlier tracks such as Rosso Relativo (and the opening police sirens practically caused me to pull over while merging on the highway...it freaks me out every time!).
Tiziano is clearly moving towards ballads and away from his earlier roots in R&B and hip hop as seen on his first two albums. However, his lyrics and music are evocative and have the smooth flow of poetry. If I had to sum up the mood it would be pensive and bittersweet; there are layers of hurt here under the sweet sounding chords or punchy tempos. I still can't say that I love this more than Rosso Relativo, which I discovered while living in Spain in 2002, but it's definitely growing on me. The Spanish version is also available, but I prefer to listen to the songs in the original Italian (A Mi Edad also features a duet with the Mexican group RBD).
Note: I have the original Italian CD, and there are NOT fourteen tracks as listed: there is no acoustic remix of Alla Mia Eta (although it can be purchased from iTunes Italy if you have an Italian credit card). The last track is the English version of Indietro with Tiziano and Kelly Rowland (Kelly even sings a few lines in Italian at the end). The CD is also equipped with Opendisc, where you can access several Tiziano wallpapers, music videos, and live performances."
The best
D. Farrow | Shell Beach, CA | 03/26/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Perhaps time and maturity have meet in this fine album.
Of the 4, this is the stand out. His voice and range are super, the music is both delighting and haunting, and the overall effect and results are a fantastic musical experience.
Although the Italian version is hard to find, I prefer listing in the original and the effort to find it was well worth the time.
"
