“This album is all about my roots. Fragments of life and emotions on a  typical Sunday from dawn to dusk in the village where I grew up.” ~Zucchero

It’s easy to hear Zucchero’s latest album, Chocabeck (A beak which makes noise), and agree that the album does sound like pages ripped from a diary. The first track off the album, Life, is about Zucchero returning to his hometown and seeing it as an empty place from a happier time that he can never go back to. Life has moved on and, for better or worse, that life is his. Other songs hit on topics such as summer love, moments of extreme happiness, moments of sorrow, and memories of events shared and experienced in history. Most of them are in English and others in Italian, which you can find the translations for at Zucchero’s website (link located above).

Musically Chocabeck is a beautiful composition of songs that lean more towards a cotemporary stance, but also mix in elements of a classic rock nature. Beautifully recorded and produced the album is amazingly acute in every instrument sound and vocal pitch. Using Life as an example again you can distinguish the rolling piano, every strum of acoustic guitar strings, and when the break comes in at about 3:18 you can make out every Beatles-esque deviation from the track in that quick instance to send chills up and down your arms. From the liner notes each song is masterfully loaded with everything from your basic five piece ensemble to other elements like church organs, harpsichords, mandolins, and even a splash here and there of a choir. Its a very rich album that easily carries a depth worthy lyrical, amazing musicianship and composing, and excellent production. Even without the translations of the two tracks on the album that are in Italian, Zucchero’s voice commands such an emotional tone within each of these tracks, as well as an ambient feel within each songs construction that it defies the language barrier. Definitely a must hear album.