Musica!

A little background information about me:  I've always loved music.  At work, at home, and in the car, I'm constantly listening to it.

An old book of church music.  Not the era or genre of music I'm talking about today!

Two years ago - almost exactly - I discovered Italian music.  I was hooked immediately and now I exclusively listen to Italian radio on the internet (Radio Italia for music, Radio 24 for talk/news).

The first Italian musician I became a fan of was Max Gazze'.  At the time, his song "Mentre Dormi" (While You Sleep) was playing a lot on the airwaves of Italy.  It was featured in the movie "Basilicata Coast to Coast", in which Max co-starred with Alessandro Gassman, Paolo Briguglia, Rocco Papaleo and Giovanna Mezzogiorno.  It's such a nice, romantic song - it still makes me swoon!  See for yourself:

I have added other Italian artists/groups to my list of favorites over the past couple years, such as Jovanotti, Zucchero, Max Pezzali, Negramaro and Neffa.  When I met my boyfriend, he introduced me to even more Italian musicians, such as Fabrizio De Andre and Sergio Cammariere.  

Since I'm sure most of you reading this probably don't have much (or any) experience with Italian music, I thought I'd share a few of the songs that I've been listening to lately.  Even if you can't understand Italian, give it a try and listen - you might just find something you like!

Right now, I'm really loving the latest song from Sergio Cammariere, "Ogni Cosa di Me" (Everything of Me).  I really enjoy listening to Serigo's mellow jazz stylings.  My favorite song of his will always be "Tutto Quello Che un Uomo" (All That a Man), but this song is a close second.  Very romantic and lovely.  Grab a glass of wine and your significant other and take a listen:

Raf has become one of my favorite artists recently.  His song "Controsenso" (Contradiction) has been running through my head a lot lately.

It's not a new song, but Claudio Baglioni's "Crescendo e Cercando" (Growing and Searching) is one of my favorites.  I always crank up the volume when it comes on the radio.

Eros Ramazzotti has been one of my favorites for about a year now.  His duet with Giorgia, "Inevitabile," is getting a lot of airplay lately:

I could go on and on about what I've been listening to lately, but I'll wrap it up with Lucio Dalla.  Lucio was one of the most incredibly talented Italian musicians out there.  His career spanned almost 5 decades, starting in 1965.  Unfortunately, on the 1st of March, he died suddenly of a heart attack - just 3 days short of his 69th birthday.  I love many of his songs, but the one he is probably most famous for (it's been recorded by the likes of Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli) is "Caruso" - a song he wrote about one of the most famous Italian tenors in history.  (An interesting side note: the music video was filmed at the hotel where Caruso died in 1921.)

Rest in Peace, Lucio.