Ambra e Corallo

Neapolitan singer-songwriter Edoardo Florio di Grazia is based in Paris and has a soft heart for singers like Lucio Dalla and Lucio Battisti, classics to Italian grandiloquent pop from the second half of the 20th century. With a little touch of French singers like George Brassens and Charles Aznavour, his debut solo full-length, Ambra e Corallo, sees his personal life (living back and forth between France and Italy) turned into an artistic MO. Although di Grazia sings often of the past (‘J’ai Vu’ is a good example of the fine nostalgic path he often takes), ‘C’e Una Stanza per Te’ finds him going through a Calexico-like arrangement, ‘Chiedo Scusa’ is an unabashed pop crowd teaser with a subtle flamenco background and the fragile ‘Rose Bianche’ is a beautiful lo-fi waltz. Soft in appearance, Ambra e Corallo is not a superficial record and proves its worth in the aforementioned tracks, but also in the pop bar divertimento of ‘Costiera’ or the French acoustic delicacy of ‘J’oublie’ (reminiscent of Coralie Clément). A promising debut.