''Elettra'' (Italian for

Electra Electra (; grc, Ήλέκτρα) is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, '' Electra'' by Sophocles and '' Electra'' by Euripides. She is also the centra ...

) is the seventh studio album by Italian singer-songwriter

Carmen Consoli Carmen Consoli (; born 4 September 1974 in Catania) is an Italian singer-songwriter. She has released 11 studio albums, one greatest hits, one soundtrack album, two live albums, four video album and 33 singles, selling 2 million copies in Ital ...

, released in 2009.

Production

The album was recorded in

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

in June 2009. It was mixed in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and mastered in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

Release and artwork

The album was released on 30 October 2009. The cover art is a picture taken by fashion photographer Rankin, who also shot all the pictures in the album's booklet.

Composition

The album has a more European and less ethnic sound than previous Consoli's works. The

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

"Non molto lontano da qui", "Mandaci una cartolina" (a portrait of Consoli's father, who had died in May 2009 following an aneurysm), and "'A finestra" served as album's singles. Several songs have strong themes, such as the title song "Elettra", which is a portrait of a prostitute who falls in love for a client, and "Mio zio", which tells of incestuous rape.

Reception

The album debuted at the second place in the Italian album charts, and was certified gold after two weeks. It won the

Targa Tenco The Targa Tenco ("Tenco Plaque") is a prize awarded annually by the Club Tenco. Founded in 1984, it has a large jury of 200 journalists and critics awarding the best works of the year.Cantore, Lalla (1990). "Club Tenco". Castaldo, Gino (edited by). ...

for best album, the first album from a female artist to win that prize.

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2009 albums Carmen Consoli albums Universal Music Group albums