Primavera in Anticipo - Laura Pausini

As its title suggests, Primavera in Anticipo, Laura Pausini's first album of new material in four years, is a new chapter in the Italian singer's storied career. For the first time in her career, she had a hand in writing every song on the album (with the exception of "Prima che Esci," which was penned by one of her Italian contemporaries, Gianluca Grignani), and though as usual Alfredo Rapetti (aka Cheope) is credited as her co-writer throughout Primavera in Anticipo, the songs indeed reflect aspects of her personal life. For instance, the lead single, "Invece No," is informed by the loss of her grandmother, while other songs reflect upon her relationship with guitarist/producer Paolo Carta, who also had a large hand in the creation of Primavera in Anticipo. Yet while the album marks a step forward in Pausini's career, showcasing a more personalized cycle of songs, in terms of music and style it's highly reminiscent of her past two albums, Resta in Ascolto (2004) and Io Canto (2006). Considering Pausini's ever-growing international celebrity, this shouldn't be too surprising; after all, those past two albums were awarded Latin Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album by a Female Artist in 2005 and 2007 respectively, not to mention other accolades. In terms of music, Primavera in Anticipo sounds a lot like Io Canto. Granted, that album had been a wide-ranging collection of cover songs, so there's little in common between the albums lyrically or stylistically, but the majority of both albums was helmed musically by Paolo Carta and Daniel Vuletic. On the other hand, Primavera in Anticipo sounds a lot like Resta in Ascolto in terms of style. Both albums soar early on, kicking off with rock songs ("La Prospettiva di Me" on Resta in Ascolto; "Mille Braccia" on Primavera in Anticipo) before moving on to power ballads ("Vivimi"; "Invece No") and the title tracks ("Resta in Ascolto"; "Primavera in Anticipo"). The stylistic similarity between Resta in Ascolto and Primavera in Anticipo is striking, resulting in a pleasant sense of déjà vu for anyone hoping for more the same (and, conversely, a sense of frustration for anyone hoping for a change in direction). Also like Resta in Ascolto, which front-loaded its standout tracks (each of its four singles sequenced within the first half of the album), Primavera in Anticipo peaks early and grows a little dull toward its close. It's an impressive album nonetheless, formulaic as it may be (and as canned as the James Blunt duet may be -- though thankfully there's an alternate version sans the British singer/songwriter, who sings in English). Pausini herself shines throughout the album, her voice as strong as ever, which should no doubt please her fans, as should her larger hand in the songwriting process. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide