«Every year it’s like going to the market and trying to put together a bouquet of flowers. As is known, we are not the ones looking for artists, but it is the artists who propose themselves.” Thus Carlo Conti introduced the preview listening of the 30 songs competing in Sanremo at the Rai headquarters in Milan.
Below, our opinions after the first listen.
Arisa – Magical fairy tale
A piece, masterfully sung as Arisa knows how to do, the fairy-tale atmosphere is all in the sometimes Disney-like arrangement, with some echoes of Morricone. Almost operatic ending. To listen again.
Rag dolls – Stay with me
The rock band presents itself with a chart-topping piece with a decidedly pop attitude. Refrain pompous and redundant. It was reasonable to hope for a slightly more original and courageous piece.
Chiello – I always think of you
Harmless, circular pop without too much appeal. But that doesn’t mean you don’t like it.
Dargen D’Amico – AI AI
He taps his foot between some surreal images (“I read in the newspaper that you can’t do certain things with AI yet”) and irony. Dance catchphrase announced.
Toe in the sore – How annoying!
The sounds are those of contemporary electronic dance. A large list of annoyances of everyday life accompanied by the inevitable four-pack. It has everything to become a best seller. We will see…
Eddie Brock – Vultures
Acoustic guitar and voice and then a melodic opening that captivates. It is difficult for it to go unnoticed. Not exactly original but effective. At the end there is even a guitar solo, now a very rare commodity.
Elettra Lamborghini – Voila
For the special “passa e va” category, another four-piece dance piece that shows all its limits and its infinite repetitiveness after the first verse. Without vote.
Enrico Nigiotti – Whenever I don’t know how to fly
Lots of words, piano and string crescendos. Nothing obvious, but nothing special either. At times decidedly pompous.
Ermal Meta – Little star
Ethnic sounds, insistent rhythm: almost a nursery rhyme that has the advantage of detaching itself from everything else. The best mediation between a singer-songwriter approach and accessibility from Ariston.
Fedez & Marco Masini – Necessary evil
«I no longer have space to paint myself with ink» sings Fedez. Then, Masini arrives with his peculiar melancholic streak. Between rap and Italian melody, a mix with all it takes to finish on the podium.
Francesco Renga – The best of me
The voice always flies higher than the others. At first listen the piece doesn’t seem particularly right. Even if it contains all the ingredients that have characterized its history and its songs.
Thunderbolts – Stupid bad luck
Singer-songwriter style and powerful refrain, not too obvious. There’s enough to bet on a future as a hit
J-Ax – Italy Starter Pack
The country folk note arrives: a polemical nursery rhyme on the vices made in Italy, which in the Sanremo context appears to be a flash of vitality. It is unlikely to go unnoticed.
LDA & Aka 7even – Clandestine poems
Latin-like progression for another piece that isn’t exactly essential.
Leo Gassmann – Natural
It still “comes and goes”. A love ballad also well interpreted, but which at least on the first listen does not warm or excite.
Levant – It’s you
There is a level of refinement in this song that definitely stands out from all the other songs. It’s not commercial at first listen, but it’s a good thing that there is a piece that travels well above Sanremo standards. Excellent interpretation.
Luchè – Labyrinth
Urban, hip hop singing, autotune and then a totally pop chorus which however, at least at first listen, doesn’t seem particularly effective. It comes and goes… Let’s say that dozens of pieces like this have been released every year for several years.
Malika Ayane – Nocturnal animals
I start at full speed for a song that holds up well with a funky Latin chorus. A successful piece, well packaged and well played, distant from the other songs he brought to Sanremo in the past. Without a doubt among the best things.
Mara Sattei – The things you don’t know about me
“Summer, Trastevere, cotton candy”. With these ingredients a ballad is presented that is obvious from the beginning. Also in this case the formula “comes and goes” applies.
Marie Antoinette & Colombre – Happiness and that’s it
We’re back to the sounds of the Eighties. Light piece, in the most authentic sense of the term with a text that does not compete with Festival banalities. Authentically pop.
Michele Bravi – Sooner or later
The vocal approach is excellent for a piece that is not very easy, but which at the same time works on first impression. An intricate and incisive ballad that requires remarkable interpretative maturity. And there is…
Nayt – Before
A pinch of rap and a lot of pop with sparkling strings: the formula is rather overblown. That said, there’s a good chance it will be one of the most listened to songs in the coming months. Ultimately, it catches the eye on first listen.
Patty Pravo – Opera
«And now she, the divine» says Carlo Conti introducing the song. Which starts off well in piano and voice: “we are saints and sinners, philosophers of nothing…”. The orchestral opening of the chorus is powerful. Overall, a piece that is not perfectly in focus, but still unique among the songs in the competition.
Raf – Now and forever
The touch of the veteran who, when he tries his hand at a love ballad, does it well and seriously. It’s not a piece that hits the mark on first listen, but during the evenings of the festival it could take off.
Sal Da Vinci – Forever yes
The most surprising. A dive into Seventies/Eighties pop: pounding rhythm, strings, fluid melody. A piece from another era which however has the great merit of not being yet another obvious ballad to bring to the Ariston. Applause in the press room.
Samurai Jay – Obsession
Not even. Latin urban dance to dance. There is also an “andale, andale” in the text. Let’s go further…
Sayf – I like you a lot
Hammering, upbeat with some reminiscences of Rino Gaetano. It’s a shame that at a certain point the loud bass drum comes in and ruins everything about this “song”. People will like it and it will make a splash on streaming. For what it matters…
Serena Brancale – Here with me
The voice is there, the piece at first impression a little less so. A ballad for piano and voice that twists a bit as it unfolds and gets better when it takes off a little. The ending is like a musical…
Thomas Paradise – The romantics
His ballads are now a trademark. This is the song of a father who speaks to his daughter about sweet music for melancholy days. A bit like Jovanotti at the time of To you. A circular piece, quite pleasant. But nothing special.
Thirteen Peter – Falling man
Old school funk rap and then comes the overbearingly pop refrain. Which isn’t that bad and works on first listen. It could be the surprise of the Festival.
