Andrea Bocelli - Cieli di Toscana [Spanish Version] (CD)

All Music Guide

In Cieli di Toscana tenor Andrea Bocelli pays tribute to his Tuscan heritage through performances of a number of romantic Italianlanguage songs, old and new, which relate to the northern Italian region associated with highquality olive oil and unspoiled, pristine coastline. As such, Cieli di Toscana proves a sort of Tuscan counterpart to Bocelli's album of Neapolitan standards, Sentimento. While powerhouse producer Caterina Caselli Sugar's arrangements are dated they smack of the Europop sound of the 1980s Bocelli's voice has such a warm and lovable personality that it is impossible for him to rub the listener the wrong way. In these relatively simple songs, Bocelli draws on his operatic skills as a singer only very sparingly, applying vibrato to notes when he is in need of more power or a more secure sense of pitch. Most of Cieli di Toscana is done in a pure, "pop" voice that's as clear and unpretentious as the olive oil produced by the region of which he is singing, and it is a joy... to hear. Cieli di Toscana (in English, Skies of Tuscany) was a sales blockbuster in the E.U. upon its release in 2001, moving millions of units in only a few weeks and occupying the top spot on charts worldwide. The album is not a natural fit for American audiences, but it got a boost nonetheless in the United States through the appearance of the song Mille Lune Mille Onde in the background of a television commercial. Of the popular albums that Bocelli has recorded, this one is probably the best so far, and certainly the one which is most accessible to American listeners. [This is the Spanish edition of the album.] - Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide Read more Less