Andrea Bocelli

Advantages: Lyrical Bocelli - a super CD
Disadvantages: Some sense of sameness in the songs

CIELI DI TOSCANA MUSIC CD - Oct 2001 I only have one Bocelli CD. As I have said elsewhere I am not hugely musical which part of me regrets. However, having heard Bocelli in concert (on TV) I was moved to buy this CD and found it truly delightful to listen to the first time and continue to enjoy listening to it when the mood strikes. There is, however, a degree of sameness in Bocelli's voice. which has an almost smokey night-club quality to it (to ...
...as to how much passionate intensity I want to listen to at any one time BUT... and it is a big "but" ... if one is in the right mood then it is very possible to just get wafted away on clouds of dream and feel oneself disappearing in to his fabulous tone and listen to the CD right through. I don't speak Italian but the lyrical quality of the vocals on this CD means that I don't really mind that I don't understand what is being said (OK so I could ... Read review

Advantages Comes with bonus DVD
Disadvantages None

...Andrea Bocelli's latest album has something for everyone. Although it is called a greatest hits album there are, in fact, 4 new recordings to delight the devoted fans such as myself. In addition, all his classic & most beautiful recordings are also here such as "Time to say goodbye" with Sarah Brightman & "The Prayer" with Celine Dion + my favourite of all time "Sogno". The title song is also a variation on the original but now with some inspirational english lyrics. I would most definitely recommend this album to anyone new to Andrea's magic but would also urge that establish fans do not reject it as simply a greatest hits re-hash, which it certainly is not. This is easy listening music, no opera, not for rock fans but for anyone who appreciates "conventional" music performed by a real professional in his field. There is also a version... Read review

Advantages Surreal, peaceful, hypnotic, magic
Disadvantages Nono other than shedding the odd tear

..."One only sees clearly through the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes". Antoine de Saint-Exupery; Do I like opera? Not really. As much as I appreciate its cultural value it was never present in my life and I was never drawn to it. In the mid 90s however there would be an Italian singer from Tuscany that would change my view of opera. Born in 1958, Andrea Bocelli invaded the European music charts with his hit song “Con te partiro” – a mix of opera, classic and pop music. This was the first song I heard by this truly unique artist. I doubt any other singer (Enya can actually) can emanate so much peace and sentiment when they sing. Like many great artists Bocelli’s rare musical talent manifested itself from a very young age and he started having piano lessons from the age of five, followed by flute and saxophone. Born... Read review

Advantages A beautiful voice...
Disadvantages but not up to his usual high standard.

...... and thank God for such an extraordinary voice. How to describe such a voice... ANGELIC... simply the voice of an angel, and with it, the raw passion akin to the devil's own. And that's what it's all about...passion, pure and simple. When I first heard him sing, my first thought was; "If God could sing, he would have Andrea's voice." What an incredible talent for such a modest man. So why have I not given this cd a good rating... simply because it was NOT the true Andrea Bocelli. The songs (which another reviewer has already enumerated) do not do Andrea's voice justice... they just don't stand up to the quality of the songs on an earlier cd called Romanza... actually, none of Andrea's cd's have been able to hold their own against Romanza. It's such a shame... truly. How can any cd compare to Romanza... impossible. The true Andrea... Read review