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Fourteen years after its official debut with "Xdono", Tiziano Ferro public "TZN - The best of". But it is not a "best of", as the misleading title may suggest, but a larger project. It is not a hard (rather: the basic version are two disks; in the deluxe version are four discs, and are four well as in special fan edition, which will also include two dvd), is not a collection, not an anthology (because for an artist behind only fourteen year career can not yet speak of anthology). But then, what is this "TZN - The best of Tiziano Ferro"? Here, to establish exactly what this new album of Tiziano Ferro is a bit 'complicated; probably the word that can best describe it is "story".
Yes, "TZN - The best of Tiziano Ferro" is just a story; but it is a reverse chronological narrative, that part that is in this (indeed, from the future, because next to the titles of the new songs "The stadium" and "Enchantment", the tracklist, shows the year 2015) and rewinds the tape to to 1997, which is the principle of the recording career of Tiziano Ferro. Presented himself, just seventeen, the Academy of Sanremo with the song "When you shall return" (written in 1997), Titian aroused the curiosity of those who - a little later - would become his "mentors" and producer of her first two albums ("Red relative" and "111"), Alberto Salerno and Mara Maionchi. It was through these last two that Iron came into contact with Michele Canova (now one of the most popular Italian producers): the two began working together in a room of Padua, as recalled in the same Titian great booklet in this special fan edition, with some computers and many ideas. So many that these ideas then got out of that room, have also gone beyond national boundaries, and who also inside of the discs of other artists. Here, with this tale Tiziano Ferro wanted to retrace the key stages and the highlights of his first fourteen years of his career; but on this record are not content only his greatest successes, but also some rarities, songs known to his audience why finished in Network versions in "pirate" and never officially published on disk, songs that do not fit within the previous albums, demos of songs written for other artists, unreleased recordings of some important performances and the inevitable unpublished (so the story, as well as being reverse chronological and has succeeded in depicting the key stages of the first fourteen years of career of the singer, also widens the speech to what we might call the "behind the scenes"). All this, in the special fan edition, one that we decided to take into consideration for this review, is divided into four discs: the first disc retraces the period 2015-2007, the second disc goes over the period 2007-1997, the third disc contains some rarities, the fourth instead contains all duets already published.
The unpublished "TZN - The best of Tiziano Ferro", and "unpublished" means the songs never published before (or disk, or in versions of "pirate" on the Net) are four, each one different from 'other for content and sounds: listening opens with "the stadium", a pop song characterized by the presence of some choirs who have the task of fomenting the public concerts that Titian held in Italian stadiums this summer: it is therefore a case if the song has this title and also talks about concerts in stadiums; continue with "Incanto", a beautiful song sounding distinctly folk and rhythm ternary (written together with Emanuele Dabbono, best known for taking part in the first and historic edition of "X Factor" - here you can listen to his "There will find here ", presented just during the final of the talent: curious to remember that in the same year he signed Tiziano Ferro Giusy Ferreri for the new" Do not ever forget me ", presented on the same stage and on the same night - and for signing, with the same iron, the song "Do not ever be afraid" section of the debut album by Michele Bravi). The third song to be considered unusual, although published as chosen as the lead single of the project, is "Without escape ever": this is an important song to Titian, who for the first time in public career that sees him sing a song in explicitly homosexual love (from the musical point of view, with its sounds r & b song seems to reconnect to the very first production of iron, represent a kind of look in the old days). To listen to the other unreleased must instead wait for the track number four in the second CD: the song is titled "If the world were to stop" and is characterized by sounds decidedly swing. Titian had written, in 2005, according to an album of swing music to be published after "111" (album where iron had been experimenting those sounds thanks to songs like "Temple Bar" and, at least in part, "You were as gold now are like them "); The project, however, for which the singer wrote maybe even songs like "TVM" and "Quiero vivir con vos", both merged into de "Love is a simple thing", did not go ahead and "If the world would stop "has remained to this day in a kind of limbo.
The rarity: it is songs that, if for the most casual audience can appear as unusual, in fact they are not. We are indeed talking about songs never published officially by Tiziano Ferro on his records before and circulated on the Net for years in versions of "pirate". And they are: "When you shall return" (which is also published officially, not in an album by Titian but the disc anthology of the Academy of Sanremo 1999), a ballad is characterized by a certain immaturity in the arrangement (linear, focused on some notes played on the piano and guitars) in the text (characterized by easy rhymes and elementary: "Tell me if you live in a little ', or not," sings Iron in a sentence of the text); "On my skin", a pop song rap from the sounds and rhythm and an addictive melody easy grip (Iron built it in 1998, in collaboration with the duo ATPC and is contained within the album "Body and Soul "the same duo); "My angel," which mixes pop sounds to more r & b singer-songwriter care (is the Italian version of "Angel of Mine" of the Eternal, never released on disc); "The Wind", a song dating back to 2000 which seems to contain in itself the seeds of what will become in a short time the characteristic traits of writing composition of iron, from the ability to play alternating different vocal registers. In these passages, all contained in the second CD, then you have to add "Latin", a song - included in the third CD - from the arrangement simple, that is situated around the piano: Titian has executed only live during a concert held in his hometown (which, as you might guess from the title, is dedicated: "Spread your wings and then, you feel that there's scent from now: spring blossoms already in Latin," reads a sentence of the text). A "rarity" can also be considered the cover of "The passers" Fabrizio De André that Tiziano Ferro has achieved in January 2009 during a special episode of the television program "Che tempo che fa" dedicated to the Genoese singer-songwriter and present "TZN - the best of Tiziano Ferro" own version "live" of 2009, with the voice of Iron who plays with depth and with great firmness voice every single word of the text, without letting go of unnecessary virtuosity.
The "re-appropriations" contained in the third CD are songs originally written for other artists. In order of appearance: "Air Life", written by Giusy Ferreri and contained within "Gaetana", the first album released by the latter after the moral victory to "X Factor" and the success of "Do not Forget never to me "(the version of Tiziano Ferro is an acoustic version of the song, the less sensual than that of Ferreri and immersed in a certain bitterness, as suggested by the initial guitar arpeggios and disillusionment with which Iron plays phrases like" and you think ... What a world of shit "); "Rescue me forever," written for the album "Pure Love" Alessandra Amoroso and here in this version "demo" (already particularly poignant version of Amoroso, sung by the warm and deep voice of Iron the lyrics are even more intense, intimate, enveloping); "The love and nothing else", also written for this "Gaetana" Giusy Ferreri and here in this version "demo" ("And my only I know the story with those who loved me and who really with me has prepared a suitcase and looked at me and said: 'you run, do not feel alone, that with you I'll be there as well. it felt tired if you want: you deserve it sometimes, my love, "sings Titian in beautiful crescendo of the song, almost to want to reclaim the autobiographical manifesto written by Giusy); "Changing the house", written with Michele Canova for Alice (who inserted it in the album "Samsara", delivered to the market in 2012, and here present in a very faithful to the original engraved version electropop singer).
Duets: Also of note was the presence of important collaborations: with Jovanotti, unpublished, to the tune of a "(So) ³" made in 2005 in relation to a possible launch of Jovanotti on the Latin market and then remained locked in a drawer (it a sort of divertissement, a question and answer hectic between the two artists - appreciated the ability to Titian to enter into the rhythm and mood of the song until it's); one with Fiorella Mannoia the tune of "The King of those who love too much" recorded live at a concert given by the singer at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in 2009 (with the voice of Titian that appears a little 'surprise, almost stealthily, in the bridge that connects the first verse and chorus - the whole song deals with the voice of Mannoia, and Iron is entrusted only some work here and there); Liah with the notes of a "Sere black" in Brazilian version (the duet, as impressive and functional than the original version of the only Tiziano Ferro, if only because of the inability of the singer to his and interpret with more "belly" less vocal technique and the words of the song was recorded in 2005 and was included in the album "Perdas and ganhos" of the same Brazilian singer); and the one with the German singer Cassandra Steen on the notes of Italian-German version of "Love is a simple thing" (with the voice of Steen who plays with sweetness and exquisite refinement to the song, supported by the interpretation safer and direct iron), originally included in the German version of the eponymous album. A considerable number of duets is also contained within the fourth CD, but it is already known to most as duets included or within the previous studio album of Tiziano Ferro or because included in the album of artists with whom the singer has had the opportunity to work during his early career. Have learned from previous efforts record of Iron (and their respective versions for the foreign market): "Karma" with John Legend, appearing in "Love is a simple thing" of 2012; "Time itself" with Franco Battiato and "Breathe Gentle" with Kelly Rowland, both contained within the album "At my age" of 2008; "The gift mas grande" with Amaia Montero, who charged her performance with excessive emphasis, contained within the Spanish edition of the same "At my age"; with Biagio Antonacci in "Kissing women", from the album "No one is alone" in 2006; and Pepe Aguilar in "I think", a song that mixes acoustic sounds to more electronic, originally included in the Spanish edition of the same "No one is alone" and the album of the same name of the Mexican singer. Come instead from albums of other artists: the duet with Mina, slightly dirty blues, to "de Cuestion feeling" (from the album "Todavía" 2007); what - virtual - with Dean Martin on a passionate "Arrivederci Roma" (originally included in the album-tribute "Forever cool", made by a cast of international artists, which included well Tiziano Ferro, in 2007); what, almost confidential and fraternal, with Laura Pausini in "I do not know how to explain" (from the album "I Sing" in 2006); ones - recently published - with Luca Carboni in "People silent" (from the album "Body and political" the singer from Bologna) and Baby K in "Killer" (from the album "Serious"), published just last year; with Miguel Bosé in "Amiga", sounding latin, taken from the collection "Papitwo" the Spanish singer; and, finally, the surprising - at least for those not familiar already - with Line 77 on "punkeggiante" "Dreams shine" (originally included in the album "Horror vacui" of 2008 the band Turin).
The two DVD: we could end our story here, but it is worth spending a few words on the two DVD content within the special fan edition: in the first of two DVDs include, in addition to an introductory comment by Titian, all of the official videoclip singles released by singer-songwriter from 2001 to 2014 (and therefore from the video for "Xdono", with a Tiziano Ferro greenhorn and danceable, that of "no escape ever again", in which live all his "alter ego" of the nerd "And Raffaella is mine", the player failed "At my age," the boy from the disfigured face of "I love you", the romantic "Ti scatterò una foto", to name a few); the second of two DVD is instead structured in two-part form. In the first part include video documentation of the work of this "TZN - The best of Tiziano Ferro" realized at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles with the interventions of keyboardist Jeff Babko, bassist Reggie Hamilton, guitarist Tim Pierce and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta that by means of some short interviews expressing flattering comments towards Titian and its working methods. "I wanted to give a cut to the new songs that might be almost the natural progression of what we did in the previous album. I wanted this record to become a kind of testament and that represented the time line that led me in 2014: did not have to miss anything because all these songs have marked my life, "says then Titian in a sort of commentary on the disc content," I chose those little stones that alone maybe would have never found a place in a conceptual album or genre but that in 'economy of a collection so multicolored found their way up. "There are also records videos of unreleased studio recordings of "Without escape ever again" and "Enchantment". Noteworthy also is the long interview this in the middle of the second DVD on the genesis of "TZN - The best of Tiziano Ferro", lasting less than 43 minutes, in which there are also reflections of Titian on these first fourteen years of his career (including curiosity, background and anecdotes). In the ideal second part of the second DVD included instead the official videoclip of the tracks made by Tiziano Ferro paired with other artists (Italian, as Laura Pausini, Baby K, Luca Carboni and Fiorella Mannoia, present in the video documentation of the duet Olimpico on "The king of those who love too much", but also foreigners, as Amaia Montero and Kelly Rowland).
