Andrea Bocelli's voice is tailor-made for sensual romantic balladry

Andrea Bocelli has been called "the fourth tenor". A disciple of Luciano Pavarotti and Zucchero Fornaciari, the blind, Tuscany-born, vocalist has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary opera. Opera, however, represents only one side of his musical persona. Bocelli has been equally successful as a pop ballad singer, having recorded duets with Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman and Eros Ramazzotti. Amore – released amongst the glamour of the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy (where he will perform at the closing ceremony) and the romance of Valentine's Day – finds Bocelli straying further from the carefully groomed classical ground. The concept of the album came from famed producer's and longtime Bocelli fans David Foster and Humberto Gatica and co-producer Tony Renis, who posed the question: Why not take the most beautiful love songs in the world and pair them with the most romantic voice in the world? The result is a beautiful album of pop standards. Bocelli's voice is tailor-made for sensual romantic balladry, and naturally those songs abound. Bocelli and his producers searched the musical eras from the 1920s to the 1980s. Utilizing three different languages of love – French, Italian and Spanish – the singer interprets classics that were originally made famous by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Luis Miguel, Elvis Presley and Edith Piaf.

Amore features a stellar lineup of the world's finest instrumentalists

Gliding easily from Besame Mucho to Can't Help Falling in Love, Bocelli shows off his signature sweet and light-toned voice, framed this time by lush and dreamy strings that recall Nelson Riddle's arrangements from the 1950s. Joined by guest artists like Stevie Wonder (Canzoni Stonate), Kenny G (Mi Manchi) and Christina Aguilera (Somos Novios), Bocelli delivers a real Valentine swoon. Bocelli also added some of his favorite international pop songs, including the Italian classics L'Appuntamento and Quando M'Innamoro, and the French standard Les Feuilles Mortes, which has become the much-loved English standard Autumn Leaves. Solamente Una Vez (a hit as You Belong To My Heart for stars including Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby) and Somos Novios (famously an English language hit as It’s Impossible for Perry Como) are also highlights of the album. Amore features a stellar lineup of the world's finest instrumentalists, who between them have worked with virtually every major artist of the recent era. Spanish guitars flourish, traditional Latin percussion seductively keeps the tempo, accordions and harmonicas provide charming melodies, while sometimes Bocelli shares the spotlight with just a grand piano.

Bocelli handles his favorite classic songs and standards with the passion, skill, and grace

Amore is Andrea Bocelli's tenth internationally released solo album, a welcome return and another instant classic from one of the most versatile and groundbreaking musical talents on the planet. It's no mean feat being the world's foremost crossover artist – a task that risks alienating two disparate audiences and everyone in between – but somebody had to do it, and Andrea Bocelli again walks that artistic tightrope with impressive deftness. While his voice may be best suited for classical music and light opera, he handles his favorite classic songs and standards with the passion, skill, and grace fans have come to expect from him. Amore is a brilliant move for Bocelli: the songs are targeted to a wider group of listeners and yet they have something for his original fans as well – in a word, his voice. The difference between Amore and Amor is more than just a letter. The words are the two titles to Andrea Bocelli's albums. All-Spanish version, Amor, will hit Latin markets on March 22.

03.02.2006