Ligabue - Giro d'Italia (2003)

By the time he released this, his second live album, Ligabue had possibly become Italy's greatest rock star, and was also collecting awards as a novelist and a film director. In contrast to the electricity of his first live release, 1997's Su e Giù di un Palco, Giro d'Italia finds Ligabue revisiting his career through largely acoustic arrangements, with the help of his usual band plus renowned multi-instrumentalist Mauro Pagani and Almamegretta's D.RaD. More crucially, in the meantime Ligabue had also released two of his strongest collections (1999's Miss Mondo and 2002's Fuori Come Va?), which greatly contributed to his repertoire. Armed with a formidable set list and quieter arrangements that allow his superb songwriting to shine through, and with his singing better than ever, Ligabue is at his very best in Giro d'Italia, arguably the finest introduction to this essential Italian rocker. A limited edition of this double album added a third CD with 11 more selections, including three spoken monologues that showcase Ligabue's histrionic talents.