LP Review: "Black Cat" by Zucchero

Black Cat

When this blog started, my daughter hadn't turned two yet. She did possess, even then, an artist's soul.

As she has grown up to the ripe old age of five, though she'll tell you nearly six, her artistry has grown by leaps and bounds.

She works in many different mediums. She paints. She colors with crayons, markers, and colored pencils when she's allowed.

During Thanksgiving Dinner this year, my talented daughter sang for us an original composition. Now, would she be able to sing it again? That's probably doubtful, but she did it once.

What her motivation is or how she does it is well beyond me. This girl can, if you'll forgive the colloquialism, paint a picture in any way she chooses. Expressing herself artistically is a big part of who she is.

Zucchero on the tracks.

Every review begins with an email and those emails are checked in turn from oldest to newest, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

In this case, it was the latter.

The first thing anybody would notice is that hat in the first picture. Did you see that hat?

That hat is a metaphor. Zucchero, who's one of the highest selling Italian artists of all time, with a group of A-List friends, has chosen to dive into the deep end of American roots music.

Roots music is the best way to describe this because there is no specific genre.

Zucchero uses musical genres like my daughter uses crayons or paints. Let's add a little delta blues here, but why not begin this song with some Pipe Organ hymnal chords? Hmm, this passage feels a bit down, let's add some poppy synth claps to it.

What that creates is a musical statement that has more mood changes than me on an OCD day when my plans don't go right. It makes an album.

What may or may not be a concept album, as I don't speak Italian, took me on a journey of will and triumph.

There are also a couple of household names that guested on this album. From top to bottom, this is a strange album for me, but where's the fun in being normal?

Release: 2/24/17
Genre: American Roots
Label: Wrasse Records
Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital
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