Sabrina Carpenter is having a hell of a summer with the ’60s-esque Italiano flavored hit single “Espresso,” but Italian American chanteuse Antoniette Costa is delivering her own Pucci-swirled delicacy with Pitupatter. Costa is a versatile artist whose musical creations fuse elements of classical, jazz and Italian folk. (Disclosure: the author of this review attended university with Costa). Proficient as a singer, pianist and harpist, Costa’s first album, Breakthru, achieved significant success by topping Amazon’s music chart in 2006. During her time as an undergraduate at The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, she garnered the attention of Rich Nichols, manager of The Roots, and A&R/rapper Dice Raw, who both took on her management.
Just one year ago, Costa underwent neurosurgery to remove a brain tumor. Drawing inspiration from this challenging ordeal, she dedicated herself to crafting an album that reflects her journey of emotional and physical recovery. “Pitupatter” is the opening title track of her follow-up to Breakthru. The video contradicts the adversity Costa sings about on her album. Full of polka-dotted sultry siren-ness, the video was filmed with Pittsburgh’s Dave Prokopec, who has worked on Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa videos in the past, serving as director and music videographer. In this video, Costa embodies the power that pop princesses like Ariana Grande only tip their pillbox hats to.
The soulful singer goes toe-to-toe with Philadelphia rapper Dice Raw on “Crumbles (Soldiers Cry)” as saxophonist Sam Dillon carries the track to a higher echelon of sophistication. “Bring Me,” featuring James Poyser, showcases her vocals that go between Jill Scott-syncopation to Jazmine Sullivan-like hip hop contralto. The next song, “VTach” showcases Costa’s music skills alongside glitchy modern thumping beats. “Leaping down those city floors… the attack, my heart, crowned in the dark room… had no ceiling or floor,” she belts, inviting us into the bellissima urban space of fantasy.
On “Dear Amy,” Costa’s voice soars like Lea Michelle’s devastating take on “Spring Awakening” and is complimented by George “Spanky” McCurdy’s tight drumbeats. “Shattered’s a Weapon” brings listeners back to that Dolce Vita lounge swag of the title track while “Me L’ha Rubato (Madman)” serves more En Vogue fever dream than anything. Before the album closes out with bonus rap tracks of “Pittupatter” and “Crumbles” (featuring Dice Raw and Kayla “Black Buttafly” Childs, respectively), we get “Last of a Line,” in which our heroine makes “the most of this diamond in the rough.”
Despite its somber subject matter, Antoniette Costa’s Pitupatter is a sensual and engaging musical journey through one woman’s tragedy to triumph. Melancholy and haunting at times, it never stops situating the listener to a Fellini-like world, complex and dream-like all at once.
