fine albums: Antonella Ruggiero

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2025/12/27

matia bazar: aristocratica

album rating: ★★★★☆

Genre: Synthpop / art pop / new wave / italo pop / proto-techno. Aristocratica is the seventh studio album by Matia Bazar, the Genoese group founded in 1975 whose original line-up united vocalist Antonella Ruggiero — an agile soprano of extraordinary range capable of pop, gospel, jazz, disco and avant-garde music — with guitarist Carlo Marrale, bassist Aldo Stellita, drummer Giancarlo Golzi and keyboardist Piero Cassano. Following Cassano's departure in 1981 and a transitional period, keyboardist and composer Sergio Cossu — a pioneer of MIDI technology — joined the group and contributed significantly to the distinctive sound of Aristocratica, which is widely considered one of the two or three finest albums in their catalogue (alongside Berlino, Parigi, Londra of 1982 and Tango of 1983). Aristocratica fully projects the group into the future: where Tango retained elements of Italian melodic tradition, Aristocratica is characterised by cryptic lyrics, proto-techno arrangements, Middle Eastern sonorities and an experimental freedom that makes it genuinely prophetic for its time. The title track 'Aristocratica' was a hit single, as was 'Milady'. The album features a guest appearance by Garbo (on track A3), with a cello solo by Massimo Luca. Track 'Mosca Helzapoppin' incorporates a sample from Howard Blake's The Snowman.

Label: Equipe / Sispe (Italy), 1984.

Producer: Roberto Colombo. Executive producer: M. Salvadori. Mixed by: Roberto Colombo, Franco Santamaria and G.M. Pecoroni.

Recording studio: Not individually specified in publicly available sources; recorded in Italy.

Critical reception: Aristocratica has been consistently praised as the creative peak of Matia Bazar's discography. Rate Your Music reviewers call it 'a classic' and describe the album as 'fully projected into the future', adding that Ruggiero 'is in top shape vocally.' The Italian music site Debaser described it as 'innovative and prophetic, blending music, art, technology, and design.' The Disco Bambino newsletter summarised: 'The band brought to life an extraordinary album that was both innovative and prophetic.' Its arrangements have been described as proto-techno, years ahead of mainstream European electronic pop.

Commercial success: Aristocratica was a commercial success in Italy and in other European markets where Matia Bazar had a following, particularly Japan. The singles 'Aristocratica' and 'Milady' charted and received wide radio and television exposure. The album has been reissued multiple times, including a CD edition by Virgin Dischi Italy (1991).

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aristocratica

2025/11/07

antonella ruggiero: genova, la superba

album rating: ★★★★☆

Genre: Italian pop / cantautori / chanson / experimental ambient. Genova, la Superba ('Genoa, the Magnificent') is a studio album by Antonella Ruggiero (born Genoa, Liguria, 15 November 1952), the light soprano best known internationally as the founding lead singer of Matia Bazar, the Italian pop-rock band she co-founded in 1975 and fronted until 1989. Ruggiero's voice is exceptional in its range — exceeding four octaves through use of the whistle register — and her solo career, launched with the album Libera in 1996, has taken her through sacred music, Brazilian tribute concerts, Broadway repertoire and collaboration with figures from Ennio Morricone to Subsonica. Genova, la Superba, released 23 November 2007 on Libera Music, is a deeply personal tribute to the city of her birth. Genoa — historic maritime republic, commercial crossroads between Europe and the Mediterranean world, 'Superba' (magnificent) in the old imperial designation — gave rise to an extraordinary lineage of Italian songwriters and musicians, and this album brings fourteen of their songs together in Ruggiero's voice. The album was produced by Roberto Colombo, Ruggiero's husband and long-standing creative partner. The sonic world of the album is shaped by two parallel creative forces: the arrangements and electronic textures of Colombo, and the 'mondi sonori' ('sound worlds') created by the American experimental ambient composer Robert Rich, a pioneer of what has been described as a 'universal sonic language' growing out of ambient music and two decades of experimental recordings. Rich's work provides an atmospheric substratum beneath the lush acoustic arrangements, which also include strings from the Libera Sinfonietta directed by Carlo Cantini and Stefano Barzan, flutes by Davide Di Gregorio, and accordion and melodica by Renzo Ruggieri. The fourteen Genoese songwriters represented include Fabrizio De André, Gino Paoli, Ivano Fossati, Luigi Tenco, Umberto Bindi, Bruno Lauzi and the New Trolls, alongside the traditional song 'Ma Se Ghe Pensu' (arranged for guitar quartet by Guitart Quartet). Songs include 'Canzone dell'amore perduto' and 'Anime salve' by De André (co-written with Fossati), 'La gatta' by Paoli, 'Un giorno dopo l'altro' and 'Guarda se io' by Tenco, 'Luna nuova sul Fuji-Yama' and 'È vero' by Bindi, and 'L'ufficio in riva al mare' by Lauzi.

Label: Libera Music (Italy), released 23 November 2007.

Producer: Roberto Colombo. Sound worlds ('mondi sonori'): Robert Rich.

Recording studio: Not individually specified in publicly available sources.

Critical reception: Genova, la Superba was received as one of the most successful entries in Ruggiero's thematic album series and a meaningful tribute to Genoese musical culture. On her official website, Ruggiero writes: 'These are universal, timeless songs that combine well with the contemporary and pop sounds present in the album.' The album was praised for the seamless integration of Colombo's electronic arrangements, Rich's ambient underpinning and the intimate acoustics of the Libera Sinfonietta. The Ruggiero website describes the project as choosing 'songs — from Paoli's La gatta to De André's Canzone dell'amore perduto or Tenco's Guarda se io — and less well-known but richly evocative and beautiful pieces.'

Commercial success: Genova, la Superba was distributed across Italy and internationally through the Libera Music catalogue. The album is now available on major streaming platforms. It belongs to the central phase of Ruggiero's solo discography, which has explored Genoese songs, sacred music, international repertoire and live concert projects. Ruggiero's continuing high profile in Italy was demonstrated by her 2007 Sanremo Festival appearance with 'Canzone fra le guerre' and her 2009 collaboration with the German dance act Scooter on a cover of 'Ti sento', which reached number 10 on the German Singles Chart.

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