Serena Fortebraccio - In a Shape of a Girl
Pop music is not necessarily popular in the meanest sense of the word. Pop can be conformed and stale or innovative and creative, but thus is for allmusic genres ... Self evident, of course.
In the last 20 years a littlel, but only for her size, islander whiz has been manifesting her creative and crystal clear talent. It’s the super famous Bjiork, eclectic and multifaceted artist. Her creative vein, always original, attracted a vast enthousiastic audience. Among her fans there are people that were not keen on pop music and there are also other artists. Among these fans there is the young and talented Serena Fortebraccio. She’ s from Trani, Puglia. She was in a vocal group, the FARAUALLA that was popular enough and had also many experiences in the Lyric and Jazz field and has recently achieved her goal to publicize her admiration for the dynamic musa we were talking about. In this project the resourceful singer has involved great musicians, experienced and of high quality. At the piano there is Mirko Signorile, at the double bass Giorgio Vendola, at the drums Pippo D’Ambrosio, at the cello Davide Viterbo, and at the sax and clarion Roberto Ottaviano. To bestow in a credible and original way an artist such as Bjork is not easy. She is already original and the covers of her songs may come out badly when compared with the original versions. But this is not the case. In this record, “In a Shape of a Girl” there’s nothing obvious if compared with the original version and the jazz arrangements are really convincing, refined and very pleasant. In the whole album there is a lot of passion and a sort of lyrism. The lyrics are highlighted by the voice and the use of acoustic instruments, strings and woodwinds. The voice of the main interpreter is always in focus and in command of the music, and I find in it a recall to another great interpreter and author : Maria Pia De Vito. Serena has met her during her educational and artistic path. Among the many song of the bestowed muse Serena Fortebraccio has chosen songs such as “Venus as a Boy”, “Cover Me”, “Isobel”, “Possibly Maybe” and “Joga” together with other less famous such as the traditional icelander “Visur Vatsenda Rosu” a tribute to the desolate and pure nordic landscapes whose rarefied atmosphere Roberto Ottaviano reproduces with his sax. Very interesting also the arrangemet of “Play Dead” with Reggae and Jazz hints. A nice work that I recommend to those that want to get to know the music of Bjork without distancing themselves from jazz. Well done Serena, we’ll hear about you, no doubt. The record is also very well recorded and won’t deceive the out and out audiophiles. Vince Genovese Translation: Francesca Rubino |