Eros Ramazzotti - Eros (CD)

All Music Guide

At the height of his popularity, after establishing a fan base for himself across much of Western Europe as well as parts of the Spanishlanguage world, Italian singer/songwriter Eros Ramazzotti took some time off during the late '90s and released Eros, a greatesthits compilation comprised primarily of newly recorded material. The 16track compilation is comprised of five songs that appear in their original versions, nine that have been newly recorded specifically for this compilation, and two new ones. While the decision to rerecord the majority of the inclusions is unusual for a greatesthits album, Eros ends up being a much more interesting album than it would have been otherwise. The nine songs that are rerecorded are the early hits of Ramazzotti, namely "Terra Promesa" (originally released in 1984), "Una Storia Importante" (1985), "Adesso Tu" (1986), "Ma Che Bello Questo Amore" (1987), "Musica È" (1988), "Se Bastasse una Canzone" (1990), "Cose Della Vita" (1993), and a couple others.... The five songs that appear in their original versions are more recent hits such as "Un'Altra Te" (1993) and "Più Bella Cosa" (1996). In fact, none of the songs on Eros predates 1993, and only two predate 1996. As a result, Eros sounds as if it were a totally new album a brilliantly written one, at that rather than a compilation of greatest hits. For instance, there's no trace whatsoever of the sometimesbombastic synth pop style that characterized Ramazzotti's mid to late'80s output. In its place is a more subtle, relatively cuttingedge style of sleek adult contemporary pop/rock that embraces modernday production technology (note the drum programming in particular), sophisticated string arrangements, and sharper guitar leads. This brings new life to the old material; for instance, the drum programming of "Ma Che Bello Questo Amore" is remarkably contemporary in style, seemingly taking its cues from drum'n'bass. Moreover, there are a couple of guest features worthy of note: classical crossover superstar Andrea Bocelli is featured on a tenminute version of "Musica È," while American RB legend Tina Turner duets with Ramazzotti on a dynamite version of "Cose Della Vita" that might be the highlight of the entire album. As for the couple new songs ("Ancora un Minuto di Sole," "Quanto Amore Sei"), neither is especially notable, though neither is particularly bad either and thankfully, they're sequenced late. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less