J-AX - Vita morte miracoli

Some readers will remember the pop-punk turn taken by Articolo 31 at the turn of the millennium, before they went back to telling us they were protomaranza. Meanwhile, over twenty years, J-Ax's solo career has ended up outlasting that of the duo that made him famous: this "Vita morte miracoli" is his ninth studio album, if you also count that pop-punk oddity "Uncool & Proud" from 2020, released as J-Axonville and easily the most fun entry in his discography. In short, this is his country record, a homegrown answer to Post Malone. Here he dons the cowboy hat to keep on being himself, between the usual harmless provocations and a few sticky choruses, occasionally dipping back into pop, rock and punk. It's somewhere between a tribute to America and a caricatural carnival act.

Violin decorates the lively "Odio la gente," an anthem against everyone that ranks among his sharpest songs, with an irreverent, slightly punk spirit:

Because by now I don't give a damn
I'm a terrible person, some admit it and some lie
By now I don't give a damn
Honestly I'm not racist or classist
I hate everyone equally

The already-known "Italy Starter Pack," a self-proclaimed ugly country-pop fairground tune, we've been hearing since Sanremo. The agenda seems clear: throw a party using country as a vehicle for other rhymes, more or less off-colour and abrasive, but always geared to fire up an audience that, despite everything, remains wide and cross-generational. There's definitely a bit of politics in here ("Vita morte miracoli," "Hippy Ya Yo") and moments that honestly border on cringeworthy ("F.R.&G.N.A.").
J-Ax turns into an old cowboy on the more reflective "Pelle, ossa & All Star," a melancholy old man on "Segreto," and an aging pub-rocker on "Bestie." He's better when he drops the disguise and tries to bare his heart, as on "Scusami Dio," a piano-led dedication to a deceased friend, or in the family snapshot of "Ciao papà." It's a shame he wastes the voice of Paola Folli, an outstanding backing vocalist for half the Italian music scene, on the rather trite polemic of "Niente per niente."

Closed out by a new roaring pop-punk track, “Pogo”, “Vita morte miracoli” seems undecided about which direction to take and spread too thin across too many fronts. The country-meets-pop-rap gimmick only works in fits and starts, while the more intimate tracks alternate between sincerity and one too many banalities. It's not a disaster, but the overall effect is muddled, as if the gag of yet another stylistic U-turn was never fully followed through, and above all as if there simply weren't enough ideas to fill a whole album.

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25/09/2026