UNA VITA UNA BALENA BIANCA E ALTRE COSE

I'm guseeing that its the presence of the Portici acoustic guitar, flute, Moog, and rock combo that make this a proggy record, though it's mostly balladeering man-with-acoustic guitar to me. Or it's the presence of a 16-minute "epic." Probably the latter.

1. "Una vita" (16:09) a decent epic--complete with compelling story and music to match-reminds me of a HARRY CHAPIN-style song. Very interesting use of Moog and flute and final five minutes.(25.5/30)

2. "Risveglio" (3:35) piano and choir opening before silence and solo pensive flute open this before piano and voice enter just after the one minute mark. A serious ballad with a very pleasant vocal delivery and simple piano-based accompaniment. (9/10)

3. "La ballata di Achab (Moby Dick)" (5:22) piano and accordion open this one before brisk Jacques Brel-like vocal delivery begins. The chorus is just as grandiose and melodramatic as one of M. Brel's. This would probably be better if I understood Italian but it just sounds like theatric cabaret to me. (7.5/10)

4. "Notturno" (4:00) acoustic guitars with some flute while Stefano sings a very pretty song. Again, I wish I understood Italian. More similarities to Jacques Brel. (9/10)

5. "Difficile chiamarti amore" (2:50) sounds like "Bojangles" or a Jim Croce song. (8/10)

6. "Il Dio sulla ferrovia" (5:04) a nice combination of acoustic and electric instruments woven together to make this one. It's pretty. Stefano definitely has a pleasing voice for telling stories. (8.75/10)

7. "Ninna nanna" (2:41) like a little bed-time dittie for a child or elderly grandparent. (8.5/10)

Total Time: 39:44

A four star album; a nice entry as a folk balladeer experimenting with some of the stylistic and sonic offerings of the progressive rock movement.