PALEPOLITANA
Osanna
•Rock Progressivo Italiano
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Studio Album, released in 2015 Songs / Tracks Listing CD 1 (38:19) - Lino Vairetti / lead vocals, acoustic & 12-string guitars, harmonica
Artwork: Lino Vairetti and to Quinino for the last updates Edit this entry |
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Osanna - Palepolitana [New CD] Italy - Import |
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Osanna - Palepolitana [New CD] Italy - Import |
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OSANNA Palepolitana ratings distribution
(73 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(18%)
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(40%)
Good, but non-essential (33%)
Collectors/fans only (8%)
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
OSANNA Palepolitana reviews
Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings
Collaborators/Experts Reviews
PROG REVIEWER

I do like the first song though and especially the way it starts with "Marmi" with the samples of a storm and someone running and the atmosphere. Almost spoken vocals before 2 minutes as it stays atmospheric and mellow. Some strings too and it turns fuller around 3 1/2 minutes. "Fenesta Vascia" stays very relaxed almost with a Celtic vibe as the vocals come in. Flute, piano and strings help out. "Michelemma" is the first uptempo track with strings, drums and more. Again there is a Celtic vibe to my ears. Not a fan of the vocals at all here, or the music for that matter. "Santa Lucia" sounds much better with the Fender Rhodes and drums as the vocals join in. It picks up and again i'm not impressed. I do like the guitar a lot that comes in late. "Anto Train" opens with piano melodies which I really enjoy then we get an atmospheric calm before 1 1/2 minutes. Some sax too as it blends into "Anni Di Piombo" which is very relaxed as reserved vocals join in. It does build some with drums later on then the tempo picks up around 3 minutes. A pretty good sound a minute later.
"Palepolitana" is different with that raw sounding guitar and upfront drumming. The vocals are more intense as well in this rocker. Some harmonica before 1 1/2 minutes followed by some good organ runs then the guitar returns followed by some amazing dissonant sax which is the best part of the whole album in my opinion. Vocals then return. "Made In Japan" opens with some welcomed melodic guitar lines as the bass, drums and organ help out. The vocals join in sounding really good here. Sadly when it picks up I think i'm listening to a late seventies pop song. "Canzone Amara" opens with strings as female vocals join in then male vocals as they sing apart and together. Not a fan. "Letizia" features some beautiful acoustic guitars throughout. "Ciao Napoli" is more Rock oriented with harmonica, guitar, drums and more. Vocals join in, it's okay but I can't get into this. "Profugo" opens with the sounds of waves and intricate sounds as the vocals join in, strings follow as the vocals continue. I like the vocals here. A really nice way to end the album.
I really am disappointed with this album but maybe it's just me as I see two written 5 star reviews ahead of mine. Fans only in my opinion.
COLLABORATOR PSIKE & JR/F/Canterbury Teams

Needless to say, i have never been a fan of albums such as "Landscape Of Life" and "Suddance" as they were very much downers after the progressive rock brilliance of "Palepoli" which has weaseled its way into my top 100 album list of all time (if listening time counts for these things.) So awaiting a new OSANNA album has never really been on my radar as i count them as down and out and nothing, absolutely nothing could ever rekindle the magic afoot on the first three albums which culminated on their third. And just as i predicted, after all the expectations that just maybe the unthinkable be true, turns out was just a false alarm. That's not to say PALEPOLITANA isn't a worthy effort by any means but certainly not the return to past glories that propelled them to the top of Italy's prog scene. Like the albums of the old days, all lyrics are sung in Italian just like a good Italian prog album should be. In fact i swear that Italians have immortal vocal chords because Vairetti sounds like he hasn't lost one little iota of his vocal prowess over the four decades since OSANNA was at their peak.
Disc One consists of the album PALEPOLITANA and despite a slow symphonic start that gave me a gut wrenching fear that the album was recorded in a nursing home somewhere outside of Naples complete with aging groupies to pick up any dentures that may have been spit out in the making of the album, i soon realized that in many ways Vairetti still has his magic mojo as one track after another churns out rather well polished addictive melodies completely frosted with Neapolitan folk hooks, heavy rock embellishments and gutsy sax and harmonica solos that harken to the good old days for the band. In fact, musically speaking, PALEPOLITANA is the best thing that has been put out under the OSANNA name SINCE "Palepoli." The disc is a varied one with a preponderance of Italian folk fueled rockers like "Santa Lucia," tender ballads such as "Anni Di Piombo" and more progressive hard rocking numbers such as the title track that is the one that most reminds me of past greatness. Perhaps the most out of character track on the entire disc is the super sappy "Canzone Amara" which is a duet between Vairetti and Sophya Baccini which makes me think of a winner of Italy's version of American Idol or even worse yet the worst of American AOR from the 80s.
Disc Two is a completely reworked and recorded version of "Palepoli." Ugh, i dreaded listening to this one. I mean, i can understand re-recording an album that you got wrong in the past but why in the world would you want to mar your magnum opus? Granted they tagged this on more as a bonus disc rather than an album itself but still?. WHY?!!!! Ok, after the shock and awe of knowing one of my favorite albums was about to be "updated" and presumably "perfected," i took a deep breath and then i pushed play. OK. It starts out similar. The notes seem to be all the same. The band really can keep up with the demanding frenetic workouts that this album contains BUT?. it's not the same of course. First of all, I DID NOT WANT a remake of "Palepoli." I DID WANT a remastering though. The differences are stark despite the band's best attempts to remain as faithful to the original as possible. While Vairetti absolutely nails his vocal parts to a T showing him to be a singer of the utmost caliber, the main problem is that this version lacks the crazy freneticism and spontaneity that the original displayed in full force. This new version sounds way too polished and the production is far too slick for its own good with subtle atmospheric embellishments creeping in and castrated guitar licks where once hyperactive jittery freak outs once existed. I should be clear that this is beautifully done. If this was the very first time i ever heard this, i'd give it four stars as it blows away almost anything of recent memory in compositional prowess. However, this is not the very first time and this version just doesn't hold a candle to the original as it is far too calculated and a "light" version of the past glory.
Overall, i'm conflicted about PALEPOLITANA. While my initial listen left me cold and i shelved it for over a year before i tackled it again, i have to say that a few more listens has left me with a warmer reception of it. I'm talking about the new tracks. The remake of "Palepoli" still rubs me the wrong way but i listened to it again for the sake of this review and while very well performed, seems by the numbers and lacks the fiery passion of the original. The main problem i have with PALEPOLITANA is not that it doesn't contain twelve beautifully crafted tracks that are catchy and well performed, it's more that OSANNA has always been a progressive rock band in my book and the progressive part is what's really on low flame on this one. This is more of a catchy pop rock type of album designed for some commercial crossover potential. While i'm not against that kind of music in any way, it has left me a little underwhelmed in this case simply because of the rekindled connections to the band's most prized contribution to the prog rock world. While i'm not sorry that i sought this out and have placed it in my collection, i at the same time can only consider this a very good supplemental album to my RPI collection and not essential in any way.
Latest members reviews
Gosh. I was sort of expecting that after playing around in a wise way with their back catalogue for a number of
years, very careful to keep it fresh and up with the times, Osanna (meaning Lino Vairetti) would have had t sink
their teeth in their opera maestra. And what a gorgeous way to do that:
... (read more)
Report this review (#1452289) | Posted by aprusso | Wednesday, August 12, 2015 | Review Permanlink
I did not expect that. Everything in this album has to be evaluated very carefully. From the same line-up (bascially) that has accompanied Lino Vaireti in the last years, after releasing the weak "Prog Family", it comes a real strong album.
Palepolitana is more than the first true studio album of
... (read more)
Report this review (#1430654) | Posted by GKR | Thursday, June 25, 2015 | Review Permanlink
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