Sanremo is an institution. Somebody in the form of Alan Tubery, a walking encyclopedia of anything about Sanremo, even informed me that Eurovision was designed from it. Having said that, I feel that I am not the right person to write about Italy’s national selection to Eurovision. I do not follow it and this will be my first watching it. I am apologizing in advance to all of you, my OGAE ROW friends, if you think that this article won’t do any justice. Wish me luck!
I will be reviewing the fourth night of Sanremo Music Festival, which featured the 24 artists singing their song with an assigned duet. Similar to the other nights, the fourth night was held in the Teatro Ariston of Sanremo and it was presented by Claudio Baglioni (who I believed sang the Cirque du Soleil-ish opening song), Virginia Raffaela, and Claudio Bisio. This edition lasted for almost four hours with famous artists providing entertainment during interval acts. I also have to mention that the maestro being introduced before each song gave an authentic feel, reminiscent of the older versions of Eurovision.
Listed below are the artists (with their duets), songs, and my short impressions:
Federica Carta and Shade with Cristina D’Avena (Senza farlo apposta)
The part with the fast lyrics didn’t work when infused to the song, but I do love the chorus. It was a good performance.
Motta and Nada (Dov’è l’Italia)
I didn’t connect with the song but I think their duet worked so well, both artists having the same artistic style.
Irama and Noemi (La ragazza col cuore di latta)
Rich in power and soul! I was blown away by Noemi. Irama was also a sight to behold. I had to watch this again to fully embrace the song.
Patty Pravo and Briga with Giovanni Caccamo (Un po’ come la vitta)
That pause made the song dramatic. Another song with a rap part, which was not necessarily needed.
Negrita with Enrico Ruggeri and Roy Paci (I ragazza stanno bene)
The first few notes made me think of Lady Antebellum. I liked this rock-ballad song. That trumpet was awesome!
Il Volo and Alessandro Quarta (Musica che resta)
What an entrance! Wow! It was an impeccable performance and I think it was a good choice to pair them with somebody who didn’t sing. I am not surprised that the Italian audience loved this song but I think they lost their identity as an operatic trio with this song.
Arisa with Tony Hadley and Kataklò (Mi sento bene)
This is a song that has many different genres mixed into one. That never works but the upbeat part lightened the mood, for sure.
Mahmood and Guè Pequeno (Soldi)
Mahmood has an amazing raw voice that complemented the song really well. I do love this song and I find it unique. Definitely now what you’d expect in Sanremo but definitely a breath of fresh air.
Ghemon with Diodato and Calibro 35 (Rose viola)
What’s up with songs having parts that are rap/fast lyrics? This is probably the fifth song that has it so far. I don’t think it fit well with this blues song.
Francesco Renga with Bungaro, Eleonora Abbagnato and Friedemann Vogel (Aspetto che torni)
You can obviously see that the singers gave it all for this ballad song. Another clean cut performance!
Ultimo and Fabrizio Moro (I tuoi particolari)
Wow, that was an amazing song. It was also nice to hear the flute (was it a flute?) that mellowed the two strong singers. Fabriozio maybe a little bit upstaging so I think Ultimo would have been better singing the song by himself.
Nek and Neri Marcorè (Mi farò trovare pronto)
It was quite obvious that Neri was not helpful at all in this song, which gave Nek to shine. But I did not feel this song.
Boomdabash and Rocco Hunt with Musici Cantori di Milano (Per un milione)
Something different in the midst of a ballad rich competition. I love the backup singers!
The Zen Circus and Brunori Sas (L’amore è una dittatura)
I am sorry but I cringed when I first heard the chorus. I did something else while waiting for this song to end.
Paola Turci and Giuseppe Fiorello (L’ultimo ostacolo)
I kept waiting for the big reveal but it never came. Gave it a couple of chances but I did get to like it.
Anna Tatangelo and Syria (Le nostre anime di notte)
Good singers, perfect pairing, but an underwhelming song.
Ex-Otago and Jack Savoretti (Solo una canzone)
I ended up liking this song. The mixture of English and Italian worked well and the singers complemented each other.
Enrico Nigiotti with Paolo Jannacci and Massimo Ottoni (Nonno Hollywood)
Quite monotonous for me. I have seen that sand art already.
Loredana Bertè and Irene Grandi (Cosa ti aspetti da me)
As soon as I saw Loredana, I expected that this will be an interesting performance. She sure gave us attitude and passion. I just wished she didn’t scream most of the song. The audience seemed to love her.
Daniele Silvestri and Manuel Agnelli (Argentovivo)
Was he even singing? Manuel did not help either. Did I hear a rap again? Next!
Einar with Biondo and Sergio Sylvestre (Parole nuove)
Einar can just stare at me until I call the Italian number to vote for him. The three singers sang well together which made this song sound contemporary. There’s another rap part but this time it worked.
Simone Cristicchi and Ermal Meta (Abbi cura di me)
This was the the 22nd song and it did not help that this was a dragging one. I easily got bored with this song.
Nino D’Angelo e Livio Cori with Sottotono (Un’altra luce)
Some jazz and blues action happening here. I like it… so as the three singers. I found them amusing to watch.
Achille Lauro and Morgan (Rolls Royce)
This song woke me up, in a bad way. I didn’t expect that at all but there will always be an eccentric entry in a competition. This was it.
Three-ish hours after, the night finally came to a close. The juries gave the Best Duet Award to Motta and Nada. The organizers also decided not to disclose the blue, yellow, red rankings of the songs, as what they did on the previous days. What can I say after having my very first Sanremo experience? I do get it why Italy loves it. I am committed to watch the finals night!