Paolo Saporiti is an Italian singer and songwriter who lives in Milan. The immediate draw to Paolo’s songs is the attention to details and the depth of his lyrics, which permeate his music. Next you are pulled in by his biting and evocative voice which perfectly melds together with the harmonic melodies given by the acoustic arpeggios of the baritone guitar. In this project we meet the author in a “last but not least” turning point in his career, his fourth album as a “solo” composer. “L’ultimo ricatto” (an italian title for a handful of english songs, which in italian means something like, “The Ultimate Blackmail”) produced by OrangeHomeRecords, is a piece of work by a songwriter devoted to the sacred world of American and English folk music, (from the 70’s to today) who strictly decided to stress and test his songs. Xabier Iriondo, the arranger of the album, is the elected shaman who injected his own avant-garde urges into the meditative and highly emotional writing style of Paolo Saporiti. “L’ultimo ricatto” honors the genre of mainstream folk music in its strict observance of the rules, beginning with the decision to strive to obtain a sweet, old and personal sound. This was achieved by the hands of Co Producer/Recording Engineer, Raffaele Abbate in his recording studio tucked between the hills of the Ligurian coast close to Genova, far away from the tumultuous noises of the town. However, if it had not been for the solid and specific model of the author’s compositions, we would not have also been able to receive the cd as a product of an experimental, world musician. Saporiti’s individual and personal voice, together with the guitar and sometimes banjo and piano, guides us toward the collision of a close group of acoustic sketches comprised of some noisy implosions (Iriondo’s electric guitars), some electronic tremors (Zeno Gabaglio on electric cello), saxophones’ worries (Stefano Ferrian) and rythmic agitations (Cristiano Calgagnile’s drums). The whole of the album brings light to an amount of many splendored things; its surprises and changes of scenarios, short “crescendos” and a few small marches scatter substance throughout the air. Meanwhile, the songs of the album formed with autobiographical truth lead us to a universal act of courage and dislike toward the state of how things are. This stands behind the choice of changing our passive condition, for that’s the only way for Man to find himself: passing through “L’ultimo ricatto”, the very first act of freedom. The preceeding album of Paolo Saporiti, “Alone” (Universal Music, 2010) was arranged by Teho Teardo, acclaimed movie sountrack composer, who was recognized as the winner of the david di Donatello 2009 award for the music of the film “il Divo” directed by Paolo Sorrentino. “Rotten Flowers”, one the songs that was composed for the album “Alone” won the Eiff award, as well as Best Video of 2010, directed by Virgilio Villoresi e Luca Barutta.