RAZZA UMANA

For decades, Pierpaolo Bibbo was another RPI artist classified with the unfortunately common "one-shot" moniker, an artist/band who released one album in the '70s era only to vanish afterward. Thankfully, the ranks of such one-shot artists seem to be thinning in recent years as more genre elders have been returning from the mists to restart their recording career again. Results can vary. Some returns and reunions have been fruitful blessings while others were perhaps best left back in the mists of the '70s. Bibbo recorded his debut Diapason back in 1979, though it wasn't widely available until Mellow issued it on CD in the '90s when it was then welcomed warmly by a reinvigorated RPI enthusiast community. Bibbo would not return with a new album until 2012. Since then, he has become an active recording artist again, releasing three more solid albums. Razza Umana is another triumph, maybe his best. I'm still on the fence on that question.

Bibbo is a superb multi-instrumentalist whose guitar, keyboard, and vocal skills have only improved, remarkably, as he was in his late 60s at the time of this release. His most known Diapason was a fine album, but it was experimental in nature, searching for unique keyboard sounds, often succeeding, but the result was more interesting than enjoyable in some ways. What I love about Razza Umana more than the others is that it feels so natural, so warm, without getting hung up on "progressive rock" tendencies. Don't get me wrong---there is plenty of icing on this cake. But here the icing never overtakes the cake. The cake is the songs, and the songs here are strong, spacious, and really beautiful. This is classic symphonic RPI with some prog-folk touches and with just the right mix of electric and acoustic, keyboard atmosphere, and rich Italian vocals. While this is not a Pink Floyd-sounding album, I will note that Bibbo's electric lead soloing did remind me instantly of Gilmour's leads, the sound, the soaring, the expression of the notes, bends, and runs.

Songs for the Human Race

The tracks have a more traditional feel, warm and wonderfully melodic, luxurious to the ear. I will say that for those who demand extreme complexity or enjoy abrasiveness or discordance, that crowd could be disappointed here because this falls into the "pretty prog" camp. It's just very pleasing to the ear. Lyrically, I'm at a loss again as an English-only fellow, but using Google Translate on the song titles, it would appear there are some heavy topics being discussed, possibly aging, concerns about humanity's future, spirituality, and even extinction. Musically, however, any dark concerns about the state of the human race are mostly cloaked by the sound and melodies meaning the overall effect was upbeat to me, positive.

What moves me about Razza Umana is the sense I get that Bibbo is unpacking his life journey on this one. It feels like a true conversation between him and his listeners, open, pleasant, emotional. Gone largely is the pursuit to appeal to "prog" listeners with quirky electronica or overly provocative, angular musical twists which, although thrilling, can also be a distraction. Instead, this album feels like the most authentic connection we've had with this artist, and thus the experience is the most rewarding one in my eyes. This feels like a man pouring his heart out to you, not hiding behind technical wizardry. At the same time, I don't want to make it sound musically boring. It's not. There is drama, passion, beauty, and long, thoughtful passages to sail away on. It can rock. The performances are top notch. While I hope this is not Bibbo's last album, if it is, it is the perfect nightcap for a solid body of work that began with Diapason. I highly recommend this album to lovers of beautiful Italian symphonic prog.