Let's face it. Every now and then we need to unplug from the electronic sounds of those beautiful but sophisticated records. So it happens that we can no longer listen to wonderful multi-layer synths or urban rhythms that catapult us on the streets of Harlem from our studio.
Then you need concrete, natural and simple sounds. Simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve in art. If I'm not mistaken Einstein once said: "Art is the expression of the deepest thought in the simplest way." And this record seems to put this maxim into practice. A very original album too, to be honest. Starting from the initial choice of wanting to use shells collected around the world, repaired and adapted to emit very pleasant flute sounds. For this reason on the cover of the disc it says "eco friendly". It is no coincidence that on the cover image there is a hermit crab with a plastic cup and rightly so the album was also made with the contribution of Greenpeace e Legambiente.
So, in these days of sultry heat, this “marine” disc is just fine, which from the very first notes seems to take us to the Antilles to sip a tasty cocktail of tropical fruits. The opening track "Coral directs”Has a bit of the solemn flavor of the Lutheran choirs of the eighteenth century which, however, sounds divergent put in the mouth to the timbre of the shells.
But the atmosphere quickly turns to tropical dance with "You are here”, A kind of hymn to remind us that yes, it is us here, the ones who inhabit the planet.
Welcome guest Vinicio Capossela in its "The Madonna of the shells”, A pearl in the oyster of a few years ago that with its rocking rhythm makes us imagine the arrival of the Madonna on a shabby boat. At this point, take a sip of rum and listen to the fragrant voice of Vanessa Tagliabue Yorke neither "The Queen of the Shells”, A fairy tale about a hermit crab looking for a small house. Helped by the queen of shells, in the end he has to settle for a sad plastic cup, because that is it.
The disc closes with "What can I do for mother Earth?”A question that now seems an“ unanswered question ”even more significant because it is sung by a children's choir representing future generations who will inherit the planet and the environmental problems we know.
Attached to the disc you can enjoy a dedicated to the marine universe and the pollution problems that threaten it. From the musical point of view it must be said that perhaps after a while there is the sensation of a repetition in the rhythmic and melodic patterns of the songs and perhaps even the timbre of the shell, however delicious and cuddly, could risk boring. However, hats off to Ottolini, an established jazz musician for this courageous and counter-current operation from a commercial point of view.
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