Latin Loverrelease date: 1982
format: vinyl / digital (1983 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Conny Plank, Gianna Nannini
label: Ricordi - nationality: Italy
Track highlights: 1. "Primadonna" (video) - 2. "Wagon-Lits" - 3. "Ragazzo dell' Europa" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Latin Lover" (video) - 6. "Carillon" - 7. "Amore amore"
5th studio album by Gianna Nannini following one year after the album G.N., which was an Italian affair made with just a handful of musicians, and as contrary to that Latin Lover is produced by Nannini and famous German ("kraut rock") producer Conny Plank, aka. Konrad Plank, who worked as sound engineer and producer on numerous iconic albums for artists like Kraftwerk, Neu!, Brian Eno, Can, DAF, Devo, Ultravox, Eurythmics, Ideal, and Killing Joke - just to mention a few. The album counts eight songs with a total running time at just below 33 minutes. Here, Plank is credited as co-producer, for synths on one track (#2) and sampling (track #8), and he is credited as arranger on four ( tracks #1, #5, #6 & #8). Apart from Plank, the album feature several international artists, which include Annette Humpe from German band Ideal on three tracks, Hans Bäär (aka Hans Maahn from German folk rock band Hoelderlin), Anni Lennox (from Eurythmics) on keyboards on four tracks, Mauro Pagani (from Italian progressive rock band PFM), and Jacki Liebezeit from Can featuring as drummer on seven tracks (all but #1). All songs are credited Nannini, and three tracks (#1, #2 & #4) are co-written with Italian composer Mauro Paoluzzi.
The album continues the same energetic pop / rock style she demonstrated with the predecessor, and the album is Nannini's second consecutive album to peak as number #24 on the national album charts. The album didn't spawn any noteworthy hits, but it's undoubtedly the album that secured her noteworthy airplay as an international European artist via songs like "Ragazzo dell'Europa" and the title track. The successive album Puzzle (1983) peaked as high as number #2 in Italy, but without Latin Lover that success may seem questionable.
Gianna Nannini may be overshadowed by the success of compatriot Zucchero Fornaciari as Italy's best known rock artist - and yes, he has made ten successive number #1 studio albums in Italy (1987 - 2016) and he is recognised as an international star, and despite my admiration for his life work, imho, Nannini is Italy's absolute best rock-artist. Although this is from her early period and went on and made other fine albums with much better charting performances, Latin Lover remains one of her best ever.
Highly recommended.
