Oronero (English: Black Gold) is the tenth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Giorgia, released on 28 October 2016 by the record label Michroponica, and distributed by Sony Music.[1]
The album peaked at number two of the Italian Albums Chart, being certified double platinum by FIMI. The album was promoted by severals singles and the Oronero Live Tour, which was recorded for the live album Oronero Live, promoted by the collaboration "Come neve" with Marco Mengoni.
"It is a situation that affects us all, we move in a world where through social media we can say anything and talk about anything, communicate, confront each other, however, then there is a part of it all that becomes violent, almost out of obligation. This is where the metaphor of oil comes from, which in nature is not a bad thing, it is a resource, but misused it becomes a weapon, it becomes poison.
— Gioriga about the album conception[2]
The album contains fifteen tracks, of which ten are co-written by Giorgia, plus numerous collaborations with Italian and international artists.[3][4] The writers include the Italians Tony Maiello, Daniele Rea, Pacifico and the singers partner Emanuel Lo, as well as international collaborations with Allan Rich and Jud Friedman.[5][6] In an interview with La Stampa, Giorgia explained the process behind the production of the album:[7]
"With Michele we worked a lot on pre-production so that by the time we recorded we already knew what to keep and what to look for. [...] The lyrics reflect who I am with the fears and anxieties that we live in a world like this."
Musically the album was inspired by Beyoncé's vocal ability which is "on par with the rhythmic", Rihanna and Drake's R&B and Soul style.[2] The album title refers to an Italian expression for identifying petrolio, or "black gold."[8]
Mattia Marzi of Rockol described the project as the synthesis between the previous projects, reconnecting "almost seamlessly, to the electropop and dance" of Dietro le apparenze and "to the more acoustic, played soul; [...] bringing Giorgia back to her comfort zone, to her territories" of Senza paura. Marzi indicated that the tracks "Posso farcela" and "Non fa niente" are two songs "in the background, almost on the sidelines" with respect to the record, emphasizing an "introverted and introspective attitude" of the singer, becoming "the most effective on the record."[21][9] Fabio Fiume of All Music Italia claimed that the singer is "enriched by a large group of American authors and musicians" who, with the help of Canova, produce sounds "intentionally electronic and certainly of international level." Fiume described the project "knowing and thoughtful" as it is the manifestation of "the testament of her current moment."[10]