Alex Britti's third album finds the Italian singer/songwriter in a lighthearted mood, carried by the lofty, lightly danceable arrangements of tracks like opener "7000 Caffè," and "Se il Feelin' Non C'E." The former mixes boisterous horns with a tasty acoustic guitar lick, while the latter runs twangy, rangy, slide work through shuffling drum programming. Britti often seems like he's flirting with his female backup singers; the smile (or is it a smirk?) comes through in every line. At the same time, he's proves just as comfortable with balladry. "Zingaro Felice" applies a similar electro-acoustic formula, but it's less jocular and more introspective, helped along by tasteful, melancholy chord changes. Elsewhere, he nods to Prince with the conversational rapping of "Tutta Gente Strana," and shows off some impressive soloing on the instrumentals "00:00 A.M." and "Le Donne." '3' (Sanremo 2003)'s best moment, however, might be the whirring, effervescent "Schermo." Burbling with a bouncy bassline and dizzy synths, the song's clever arrangement doesn't require proficiency in Italian to join in the singalong fun. Hey!
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