Oltre

Chronique

Emma Marrone, the winner of the 2009 season of the reality television show Amici di Maria De Filippi, made her commercial recording debut with Oltre, a seven-track EP featuring the chart-topping single "Calore." Like Stupida (2009) and Ragazza Occhi Cielo (2010), the respective debut EPs by fellow Amici di Maria De Filippi graduates Alessandra Amoroso and Loredana Errore, Oltre includes several songs written by the tandem of Federica Camba and Daniele Coro. In fact, five of the seven songs on Oltre are credited to Camba and Coro. The highlight of their contributions is the opening track, "Sembra Strano," a guitar-driven number that gets the EP off to a lively start and shows Marrone to be a rocker rather than a balladeer, as so often is the case with these reality television singers. The two songs on Oltre that aren't credited to Cambra and Coro, "Calore" and "Meravigliosa," are likewise highlights. Both are midtempo songs with soaring choruses that showcase Marrone's vocal ability. She's a fine singer who won the ninth season of Amici di Maria De Filippi for good reason. Her performance here on "Calore" alone is worthy of praise. However, her debut EP doesn't quite measure up to that of Errore, her Amici di Maria De Filippi runner-up. While the singers have different styles, with Marrone more inclined toward rock and her rival more inclined toward power ballads, Errore's debut EP has better material, thanks in part to Biagio Antonacci, who contributed three songs. Like Errore, Marrone would benefit from more outside contributions besides those of Camba and Coro.

© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo