Francesco Baccini has released Nomi e cognomi 2, his first solo album of original songs since Dalla parte di Caino in 2007. The 13-track record was presented in Milan alongside a book of the same name and arrives 34 years after his earlier Nomi e cognomi album.
The Genoese singer-songwriter says the new record avoids singling out a politician. The 1992 album’s first single, Giulio Andreotti, stirred controversy, he recalled. A song named after current prime minister Giorgia Meloni would be “a mess,” he said, adding that this time his satire targets the entire parliamentary spectrum.
That approach appears in a song featuring the fictional MP Gino Piripozzi, a character assembled from what Baccini describes as the faults of those in Parliament. But the album also looks back, with tributes to people he believes are worth remembering, including Tiziano Terzani, Don Gallo, Francesco Nuti, Freak Antoni, Franco Califano and Marc Chagall.
One of the songs honours Matilde Lorenzi, a promising Italian skier who died aged 19 during a training session. Baccini said her death struck him as especially painful because she was so young and had been doing what she loved. He wrote the song in a burst, then played it to her parents, who provided previously unseen images for its video.
The album also includes Pino Mirella, a parody of contemporary trap that revives a character from Baccini’s earlier work. With orchestral arrangements by Mauro Ottolini and contributions from numerous musicians, the record moves between rock, ballads, Latin rhythms and rap while retaining a live, handcrafted sound.
Published by Baldini e Castoldi, the accompanying book is an autobiography told through people Baccini has encountered during more than 35 years in music, against the backdrop of a changing Italy. He is scheduled to perform in Bologna on November 25, Ascoli Piceno on November 26 and Turin on December 18, followed by January concerts in Enna and Brolo. A box set pairing the new album with a reissue of the 1992 original is also planned.
Sources: ANSA Cultura.