Umanamente Uomo: Il Sogno＜限定盤/Crystal Black Marble Vinyl＞

Much of Lucio Battisti's Umanamente Uomo: Il Sogno is romantic, at times even sentimentally lush pop, with influences from rock and folk. But there are enough unexpected colorings to mark this as a reasonably daring record, if one still grounded for the most part in conventional song structures. Certainly "I Giardini Di Marzo" is the most accessible track, its plaintive, haunting melody and yearning vocals complemented by soaring, expansive orchestration that falls just short of dripping pathos. Other cuts, however, get closer to the more eclectic, progressive vibe that's helped Battisti acquire some cult listeners among psychedelic/prog collectors in the English-speaking world. "Innocenti Evasioni," for instance, crosses a pre-disco rhythm with neat muted wah-wah guitar; the title track is rather like hearing one of those instrumental cuts from Nick Drake's Bryter Later as filtered through more unabashedly unreserved Italian romantic heartbreak. "Communique Bella" draws more heavily from early-'70s British rock trends, its cathedral-like art rock organ alternating with pastoral acoustic folk, and "Sognando e Risognando" gets into dark, relatively hard-rocking folk-rock. None of this prepares anyone for the closing "Il Fuoco," a mostly instrumental piece of bleak, wobbling distorted guitar tweaks and a bit of death-rattle chanting, which is wholly unlike anything else on the album. Much of this CD, however, is expansive, fairly melancholy, tuneful, heart-on-the-sleeve pop with some individualistic touches. This approach might make Battisti one of the more accessible figures on the Italian rock scene for non-Italian speakers, though the inability of most such listeners to understand his lyrics will limit his international appeal as well. The 2006 CD reissue adds historical liner notes (in English). ~ Richie Unterberger