Mina Celentano is an album by Italian singers Mina Mazzini and Adriano Celentano, issued in 1998.
An immediate success upon release, Mina Celentano became the best selling album of the year in Italy (over 1.600.000 copies sold). (by wikipedia)
One-off and long overdue collaboration of two giants who probably know each other for decades.
Celetano’s street smart charm and Mina’s icy glamour are not an obvious fit but they create magic together and it works so well that it makes one wonder why it took them so long to get in the studio. Both started at the early dawn of 1960s as young punks ready to shake the world and endured long years in business to the point that they became living legends. If somebody had put them together in way back than, who knows what explosion that might have been, with young Celentano roaring and Mina answering in her energetic style – however at this point they are middle-aged people comfortable with slow-to-medium funky ballads.
Both artists have huge following so it was natural that this album soared to the top of italian charts, as it should have – modern production,nothing nostalgic here, strong melodies and voices blending naturally. It’s kind of mild funk one might hear in italian coffee bars graced with top-notch than-current production and first few songs are truly classy pop that shows everything was taken seriously and nobody thought about artists as being old or over the hill. Most of the music here are duets but both artists have also a solo spot – Mina does her usual slow-burning rock ballad on “Io Ho Te” while Celentano raps on “Dolly”. There is even a comical “Che T’Aggia Dì” acted as argument between husband and wife who demands more bedroom attention or else she won’t cook anymore. (It’s almost a parody on Mina famous “Parole parole”)
Nice pop album that shows old foxes still having power, however it does make one wonder how they might have sounded together some 30 years ago. (Sasha)
I include the complete booklet (70 pages !).
Personnel:
Adriano Celentano (vocals, guitar)
Giorgio Cocilovo (guitar)
Umberto Fiorentino (guitar)
Nicolò Fragile (keyboards)
Paolo Gianolio (guitar)
Alfredo Golino (drums)
Maurizio Dei Lazzaretti (drums)
Mina Mazzini (vocals)
Massimo Moriconi (bass)
Massimiliano Pani (keyboards, background vocals)
Massimo Varini (guitar)
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Background vocals:
Emanuela Cortesi – Giulia Fasolino – Moreno Ferrara – Paul Rosette – Silvio Pozzoli – Simonetta Robbiani – Stefano De Maco
Tracklist:
01. Acqua e sale (Donzelli/Leomporro) 4.42
02. Brivido felino (Cenci/Audino) 3.44
03. Io non volevo (Celentano) 4.08
04. Specchi riflessi (Donzelli/Leomporro) 4.59
05. Dolce fuoco dell’amore (Fasolino) 4.39
06. Che t’aggia di’ (Celentano) 5.09
07. Io ho te (Donzelli/Leomporro) 4.54
08. Dolly (Celentano/Vaccaro) 5.35
09. Sempre sempre sempre (Albertelli/Riccardi) 4.46
10. Messaggio d’amore (Pani) 2.36
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