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08/11/2024

FITNESS FOREVER "Amore e Salute" LP

Chansonnier. That man that is equal parts age and class, full of wit, charm, irony and insight, who possesses a voice that is an exercise in persuasion in and of itself. The most recent album from FITNESS FOREVER focuses on this figure that has almost completely disappeared from the musical universe, and belongs to decades past. “Amore E Salute”, far from being an exercise in nostalgia, musically recreates the atmospheres that surrounded these characters and remembers the stories of some of them, many of whom we have met on the various advance singles. There is no way to talk about this album other than to go through the songs that play with funk and disco music from infinite perspectives, taking it around the world and filling it with the group’s trademark exuberant arrangements.

It all starts in Rome, in 2005. This is where our journey begins. A fascinating and experienced TV presenter takes a walk down the Villa Borghese. He is known for his ability to make connections between different disciplines, sensuality and religion, psychology and magic, unknown philosophy books and the news and bring them all together in a single coherent discourse. He is not alone – a young woman accompanies him; she seems to be hypnotized by his distracted way of walking, by the nervous gesticulations of his hands, which agitate the air with concepts and thoughts to make them tangible, a living material before their eyes.

In the next scene, they are sitting together romantically on a bench, facing a small pond with elegant swans, and kiss passionately as if it were a seal of their cosmic love that transcends logic, time and space. In this sensual and secret Rome, a city open to all ideas and possibilities, we find “La Porta Del Cuore", the first of these stories on the album, and the gateway we will go through every time we want to take this journey with FITNESS FOREVER.

“A Vele Spiegate”, the first advance single, includes the incredible collaboration of CALCUTTA, the most important voice of the latest generation of Italian singer-songwriters who is able to evoke the greatest, lends his unique sensibility to this song, which is a true sonic journey. It’s an exercise in colorful jazz-funk that makes us think of composers like Alberto Radius or the arrangements of Arthur Verocai. The song makes us feel like we are on a boat, sailing from Naples to Sorrento and then from there to some specific, safe destination. It’s a metaphor for life when you are in the middle of everything, when none of the questions have clear answers. In this final chorus, you can hear the magical voice of Alan Sorrenti, an authentic legend of psychedelic, funk and Italo disco music, bringing the generational and emotional short circuit of Italian music full circle.

“Ischia” was another advance single, with a powerful collaboration from Peppino Di Capri, one of the greats of Italian music, and who was a close, personal friend of Fred Bongusto, who the song is dedicated to. Fred lived in Ischia for many years and he left his mark on the island even after his death. This magic circle makes “Ischia” one of the most special songs ever written by Valderrama.

On “Payaso”, it is not the chansonnier whose story we hear but the counterparty, the woman, his prey, his muse, in this case embodied by the Neopolitan Chicca (Francesca Diletta Iavarone). Even the most experienced chansonnier sometimes finds himself up against a woman who can stand up to his charm. This is a maxi-funk piece that pays tribute to Augusto Martelli, also a tremendous chansonnier, as well as the author of some of the most amazing television commercials from the eighties (remember “Grand Prix”, “Ok The Price Is Right” or “Casa Vianello”). Those chords, those choruses, you can’t resist the urge to dance.

“Malinconico” gets its name from the small trattoria in the Vomero neighborhood of Naples which was the group’s headquarters during their recording sessions. Malinconico is also the name of the character from the famous book series by the Neapolitan author Diego De Silva, and it’s inspired by the dreamy jazz-funk masterpiece, "Pacific" (1983), by the Japanese musicians Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki and Tatsuro Yamashita. It is an exquisite instrumental song that transmits an incredible feeling of peace and connection with the sea, weaving a complex harmony over the course of its evocative development.

“L’Amour” was the third and final advance single, and song that reflects a night when Valderrama himself, in the middle of the Montmartre neighborhood, at the mercy of events beyond his control, turned into a monumental chansonnier. The song overflows with sonic luxury, and with a splash of irony and wit. “Sprint!” was born the same night as “Payaso”, in a prolific, dreamlike journey that is reflected in the vocals that serve as an interlude to a fantastic dialogue between friends, partners, and instrumentations. Exquisite.

To wrap things up, we have “Goodbye”. After CALCUTTA, Alan Sorrenti and Peppino Di Capri, the Italian group searched for months for one final voice to include in the lineup of "Amore e Salute", to bring the story to a coherent ending.

Luciano Angeleri, a world-renowned painter who also tried his luck in music (with exciting results) especially in the late seventies, felt like the ideal choice. He is a true chansonnier, a beautiful man, full of charm, who has lived his whole life in symbiosis with his art, and after so many years without making music, agreed to go back into the recording studio now, at 83. "Goodbye" is a closing act, a farewell: the call of freedom is too strong, and the chansonnier doesn't want to stick around. "I’m coming down to your level", he says, and then finds himself alone in the street, his freedom his only company, which cost him so much but which, along with the music, he knows is the only company that will never turn on him. Delicious, creamy, a jovial, exciting treat.

“Amore E Salute” is a travelog of sounds, styles, arrangements and, above all, stories. FITNESS FOREVER always convinces us to go with them on every journey; we would do it a thousand times. All you have to do is press play.

TRACKLIST: 01 La Porta Del Cuore 02 A Vele Spiegate (Feat. Calcutta) 03 Ischia (Feat. Peppino Di Capri) 04 Payaso 05 Malinconico 06 L'Amour 07 Sprint! 08 Goodbye (Feat. Angeleri)