Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

To honor and remember Giuni Russo who passed away 20 years ago today's pick is Alice's cover of a song in Napoletan Giuni Russo and Maria Antonietta Sisini composed to a poem by Totò. The song first appeared recorded on Giuni's album Napoli che canta in 2004, five months before her passing. Alice later took it to her repertoire and it appears first on her 2009 live album Lungo la strada, and then in her 2012 studio album Samsara.  Tu si 'a cchiù bella cosa Ca tene stu paese Tu si comm' a na rosa Rosa rosa maggese You are the most beautiful thing that has this country You are like a rose Rose fallow rose

Incredible but true Alice turns 70 on September 26. Her voice and her beauty haven't changed since she hit it big by winning Sanremo 1981 and doing Eurovision song contest 1984 with late Franco Battiato. Even more incredible is she will publish her biography L'unica via d'uscita é dentro (The only exit is inside) in September as well. Always been so reserved and private it comes as a surprise for sure. But then again, if you stop and think about it it's kind of logical. Her partner in art and life Francesco Messina, who has already written books about Franco Battiato's life among others, is behind the project. But it's a real gift to her fans like me, 40 plus years by her side. I could easily do a 70 songs presentation of her songs as they have provided me my life's soundtrack and her Park Hotel album probably being the album I have listened the most times in my life of any albums by any artist. But that would be a bit too much I suppose so I will just go fo...

  This week Italian tormentoni goes tropical with Boomdabash featuring Annalisa, Elisa jojns Matilda,  Loredana Bertè joins Franco123 and finally Giuni Russo delivers the summer banger of bangers, written by Franco Battiato 40 summers ago and hit ever since every year. Boomdabash / Annalisa - Tropicana Elisa / matilda de Angelis - Litoranea Franco123 / Loredana Bertè - Mare malinconia Giuni Russo - Un'estate al mare

  I got to know about Milva thanks to Franco Battiato and she joined as my favorites next to Alice and Giuni Russo thanks to two albums he wrote and produced to her in the 80's (and he would do a third one in 2010) Natural step was to discover her better and her career in German and French as well. She has released 173 albums singing in various languages (studio/live/compilations) but is retired  since 2012 because of poor health. Milva holds the record of participations in Sanremo (with Peppino Di Capri and Toto Cutugno): 15 times between 1961 and 2007 with one 2nd place (1962) and four 3rd places (1961, 1968, 1969, 1973) and further six top-10 placements. One of the last true Divas. In a good sense.  Check out also

  Today it's 15 years since when one of the most amazing voices ever anywhere was lost forever. Her memory is kept alive by devoted fans and remembered regularly by her collaborators France Battiato and Alice, among others. Like Alice she left the easy pop in the 80's and dedicated for more challenging sounds and created something amazing along the way. However, her 80's pop hits are evergreens, with ot without Battiato's magic touch. She is missed. A lot. That voice gives shivers and joy everytime I hear it. Check out also:

  Alice. My all time favorite artist of them all. I came across her in early 80's and never looked back. After Eurovision I started actively collect her old vinyls and also discovered artists she was connected to from Battiato to Giuni Russo, Milva, Camisasca and Rosario Di Bella. My unlimited love for her stays today despite gaps of 14 years between studio albums and albums with sacred music and Italian classics, new versions and all that. She's the soundtrack of my life and Nomadi maybe being The Song, and Park Hotel The Album of my life I never get tired of, after listening to it for 33 years already.... Check out also:

Over the years I have already presented nine albums that have shaped my music taste including ones from Alice, Cyndi Lauper, Mango, Pet Shop Boys, Kate Bush, Madonna, Diana Ross, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Craig David. Time to dust the series! One of the most remarkable ones is no doubt Franco Battiato and his Fisiognomica . This was a #1 album selling over 300.000 within the first  two months of release..... The album, his 15th studio album, came out in 1988 following post-Eurovision pop album Mondi lontanissimi that I already loved, and two operas he had composed and this album has also hints of them as most songs were written the operas in mind but turned out too pop for them, as he has told. Battiato's love for the Arabic music is also present and he even sings in Arabic in Zai saman and in Sicilian in Veni l'autunnu. Included is also Juri Camisasca's (who I adore) Nomani , originally written for late Giuni Russo (who I love), but then recorded by my favorite fe...

Today sees the release of a new book on Franco Battiato. The 320 paged one is written by writer and musician Fabio Zuffanti. Filippo Bardi has created a detailed Franco Battiato discography section in the book. Battiato, who represented Italy in the Eurovision song contest 1984 with Alice and I treni di Tozeur enjoy's a living legend status in Italy with his over 50 years in the Italian art scene. He has written music from experimental to pop, opera and films, being also a painter, writer. movie director and a lot more. This book tells his story from a little Sicilian village to the biggest Italian pop phenomenom that exploded in 1982 with his La Voce del Padrone album, one of the most sold albums in the Italian music history. The book also digs deep into his collaboration with Alice and his other female collaborators, most notably Giuni Russo and Milva . Still active in his various forms of art he's retired to his home by the mountain Etna and recovering from a broke...

  What would fit better into rainy autumn that a song about tears that hide in the rain? Romanian Andi Banica 's Ploaia is just that. Catchy and melancholic. Love it. If you don't want to give in to the autumn yet maybe you need some Tequila & Lemon offered by Elena Risteska ? That will surely bring you back to summer beaches in Macedonia or elsewhere..... Margarita muy bonita! Austria's finest Nathan Trent after running on air is offering Good vibes . What it lacks in originality is made up by Nathan as we all know Nathan is adorable. He even shows us some serious moves. He can do no wrong. Right? It may be 13 years since Giuni Russo sadly was taken away from us, but her music is alive. This fall a full album of her unreleased songs were released, reproduced and re-recorded with the sound of the early 80's when these songs were written. But her amazing voice tops it all in its Italian glory. This is Non voglio andare via . It takes us back to 19...

The 60th edition of the infamous contest for the new voices in Castrocaro takes place tonight. Over the decades it has been often linked to Sanremo festival giving access to the winner to the final, and Gigliola Cinquetti for example went on to win first Castrocaro 1963, then Sanremo 1964 and eventually also Eurovision song contest 1964. Besides her it has gives us likes of Giuni Russo (winner 1967), Alice (winner 1971), Luca Barbarossa (winner 1980), Zucchero (winner 1981), Fiordaliso (winner 1981), Rosario Di Bella (winner 1987), Tony Blescia (winner 1992), Silvia Salemi (winner 1995), Davide Papasidero (winner 2013) but names like Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Iva Zanicchi, Nek, Fiorella Mannoia and Caterina Caselli have participated without winning but getting their career kickstarted.  Tonight's the show on Raiuno from 21.25 in live broadcast the 12 finalist will be performing a cover and one of their own songs. Among them is Greta Doveri, one of The Peppermints for...

One of the most incredible voices Sicily has given us, Giuni Russo lives on thanks to her life partner Maria Antonietta Sisini. Giuni, who sadly passed away in 2004 when she was only 54, was devoted to Saint Teresa of Avila, who is celebrated for her 500th anniversary this year and this album Las Morada s is a part of that. Also, it is dedicated to Pope Francis, who was so touched by the words expressed in Giuni's biography that he sat down and sent a handwritten thank you letter to Sisini.  The album is a remastered and integral concert Giuni had in Milan's Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore on December 29, 1999. Grazie Marie Antonietta for keeping Giuni's legacy alive! "It is love alone that gives worth to all things."  - St. Teresa of Avila

Alice released her Samsara album two years ago, her first album with original songs in 14 years and to the immense joy of her fans she's not taking another 14 years but the follow up Weekend will be released in a couple of weeks! Even Samsara included a cover and hommages to late Lucio Dalla and late Giuni Russo, while Tiziano Ferro and Franco Battiato among others wrote new songs especially for her. Alice herself also returned as an author (something she should do much more, if you ask this blogger as her self written songs are usually fantastic).  We know about the new album that it includes two songs by Franco Battiato - the big question is are the songs the ones she proposed to Sanremo 2014 and was not accepted? (And did she really propose after all?) The first single is out and it's another cover that fits her like a glove, almost like if it was written for her, Tante belle cose , originally by Francoise Hardy (more about that later when the video is released).  ...

This week we start with Italian Babylonia who have covered late Giuni Russo 's masterpiece La sua figura very nicely. (They surely have a good taste, they already featured Alice in Io sono il deserto previously.) Kate Ryan has joined Robert Abigali in Karma , sounds very much like... errr, Kate Ryan? Hanna Pakarinen 's latest is slowly becoming a radiohit and Jokapäiväinen indeed has a sneaky little way to get into your head....  Spanish superstar who was also early on rumored to be the Spanish Eurovision 2013 entrant Pablo Albóran has scored another #1 in Spain with El beso . And it's fantastic!

Alice has given an interview to Il Mattino newspaper where she talks about the new album Samsara and her way of working. Three years after her live album Lungo la strada , and nine years after her latest studio album, Viaggio in Italia that was made of covers, and 14 (fourteen!) years since Exit , her latest album with new material on September 18 Samsara will be released. " To find the right songs , selected with   a logic   and coherent art can't happen  in a hurry ," she explains . "You must not run to record,  a new album is  such a delicate  work , and to find   the right people to get the result you want . Now the twelve chapters that I have outlined with the trio of friends/ producers who worked with me , Steve Jansen , Mark Guarnerio , Francesco Messina , satisfy me  totally .  I'm working again also  with Franco Battiato , whom I'm singing   of a wonderful piece Eri con me . H e will include it in...

Giuni Russo would have been 60 today. La sua figura Nomadi Le contrade di Madrid L'Addio

Il festival di Castrocaro has been running since 1957 and along with Sanremo and Eurovision is one of the longest running musical competitions in the world but unlike the two other this is only for the newcomers. Amongst the winners we have Gigliola Cinquetti (1963), Giusy Romeo aka Giuni Russo (1967), Carla Bissi aka Alice (1971), Franco Simone (1972), Michele Zarrillo (1979), Luca Barbarossa (1980), Zucchero (1981), Fiordaliso (1981), Donatella Milani (1982), Rosario Di Bella (1987), Lighea (1993) and Silvia Salemi (1995) just to name a few. Each of them have went on to Sanremo and bigger things and even if may look the importance of this festival isn't what it used to be with all reality shows, Idols, X Factors and even Sanremo's newcomers and the ways new artists can make themselves known in general through internet and the winner may not have had the right anymore to access the next Sanremo many have made it big without winning the contest, like Iva Zanicchi (1...

As always I spent some time in recordstores in Rome - unfortunately I missed a visit to Discoteca Laziale - and also found all I had on my list with the exception of the new Mango album as it was only released after I moved to out of town to continue my holidays. And I skipped Nathalie that I regret a bit now. Well, next time! Anyways here's what I got: Giuni Russo - A casa di Ida Rubinstein 2011 This is pretty fabulous piece of work. I have the original A casa di Ida Rubinstein LP from the 1980's but this CD version has been remastered and as a bonus there's a live DVD of her concert, including also other songs like L'addio , Nomadi and Il re del mondo that all sound fantastic live. But my favourite of them all is Fenesta che lucive . A must for a Giuni Russo fans. Mietta - Due soli Mietta is back with a very good album including already two singles, Due soli and Io no . I also like Che colpa ho , Ecco perchè , Angoli diversi e Cadono gemme a lot. I don't kn...

All didn't go fine in Russia for Lordi. We know we need to have visas to get to Russia - but how to get OUT? Namely, the band and all its entourage had visas organized for them by their local manager to go and perform but they ended at midnight. At 4am in the train on the way to Tallinn after their gigs in Moscow and St.Petersburg the group was woken up at the border in Ivangorod and kicked out of train because of "expired visas". They were kept at the station in the rain and wind with all their instruments and gear until afternoon before matters were settled and they were let to cross the border. By foot! Luckily a bus was waiting for them at the Estonian side and managed to take them in Tallinn at time for the night's concert. "I'm from Lapland and Russia is the big monster. It's in my genes. Nothing else in that country is sure but unsure ", comments Mr Lordi. "I would understand if they didn't let us in but not letting us out!? The loc...

Giuni Russo has nothing to do with Eurovision, I know, but she was one of the most remarkable Italian artists, collaborated with Franco Battiato, did Sanremo and most of all if things went the right way could have been in Eurovision as well. She died six years ago today. She was born as Giuseppa Romeo in a big family in Palermo, Sicily in 1951. Her mother was a natural soprano and opera was part of the daily life in Romeo household, In 1967 she won Castrocaro, the contest for the new talents and got a ticket to Sanremo in 1968. She called herself Giusy Romeo with No amore but the song flopped. Her second single L'onda was more succesful and took her to Festivalbar and even Cantagiro, two important and historic Italian festivals. She then released another single Fumo negli occhi / I primi minut i, both covers of American successes and with that she closes the first chapter of her artistic career. She moved to Milan and met Maria Antonietta Sisini, her partner for the life and care...