Blending contemporary folk, bouncing indie pop and soothing jazz accents, Ben Cipolla unveils his invigorating 10 track offering Casa Mia. An album that’s been four years in the making, the collecting of tracks is a stunning embodiment of Cipolla’s own self-discovery.
Casa Mia opens with the intimate ‘Palermo’, layers of muted instrumentation and beautifully imperfect vocals set the tone for the trajectory of the deeply personal exploration that lies ahead.
The anthemic ‘Enna’ is up next, a track reminiscent of artists such as Lianne La Havas, Melody Gardot and Tom Misch, Cipolla flaunts his ability to seamlessly infuse jazz sensibilities into his sound.
Following the heavenly ‘Gela’, we arrive at ‘Golden Hour’, the focus track in this new album release. Arriving with a visualiser which you can check out below, ‘Golden Hour’ is an exquisitely constructed song that is more charming with each listen.
“‘Golden Hour’ is about pocketing those calm, peaceful moments whilst on holiday and getting sun-kissed in the most gorgeous Mediterranean city views. It is also about escaping to a place of tranquility after being bombarded with so much noise and morning frustration.” – Ben Cipolla
The pace of the album takes a turn at track 5, with ‘Scilocco’ moving away from the energised vibrancy of the first few tracks. The stripped back soundscape features intricate acoustic guitar and wistful strings, coming together perfectly with Cipolla’s heartfelt vocals. ‘Scilocco’ further showcases the unique intimacy of Cipolla’s music, as the track comes to a close and the instruments fade out, we are left with Cipolla whispering to himself…”I’m happy in my skin…”, a moment that feels like a private conversation between him and the listener.
Next stop – Italy! With an opening sample from a tannoy announcement at a regional Italian station, we get a flair for Cipolla’s Italian heritage. Cipolla shares how important delving into his roots was to the creation of Casa Mia:
After losing self-confidence in releasing music, I was able to reconnect with my self-belief whilst on a trip to Sicily. Casa Mia means ‘my home’ in Italian and through writing this album, I’ve been able to understand where I come from. Each song peers into a different province of Sicily and explores the sacrifices made by my grandparents to build a better life for their family. Hearing their stories helped me understand myself on a deeper level, and ultimately left me believing in my music and in myself as an artist. When I am in Sicily, I love feeling a spiritual sense of belonging to the nation and culture of my ancestors, in spite of growing up in the UK, and I want to encourage listeners to go on their own adventure to explore their roots.
We can hear and feel Cipolla opening up more as the album progresses, from the snippet of a telephone call with his nonno at the end of ‘The Queen of Aragona’ to the Italian lyrics in ‘Cicero’ that explore his frustrations with not having previously embraced the language.
Casa Mia comes to a close with two final tracks, ‘Lavender’ and ‘Trekking With The Stars’. Both tracks remind the listener of the wonders that Cipolla has to offer with his music. With the former capturing the delicate nuances in his softer offerings, the final track features an irresistible groove-infused rhythm, the kind of track that makes you feel weightless as you walk down the street.
As other tracks on the album have done so, the final song ‘Trekking With The Stars’ ends on a stripped back and intimate note. In Casa Mia Cipolla masterfully exemplifies how to combine thoughtful and deeply personal themes with dazzling and transportive instrumentation.
Stream the full album, Casa Mia, below: