Cieli di Toscana

It’s with good reason that Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is listed in the Guinness Book of Records — his melodic songs and sensuous voice transcend musical boundaries, touching the hearts and souls of opera and pop fans alike, making Bocelli one of the highest selling classical artists in history.

The superstar tenor’s latest release, "Cieli di Toscana" ("Tuscan Skies") sees Bocelli return to his pop roots for the first time since 1999’s "Sogno". And like that album, "Toscana" looks set to become an international bestseller.

"Cieli di Toscana" celebrates the breathtakingly beautiful Italian region of Tuscany, where Bocelli was born and raised.

The dominant theme running through the fourteen tracks is love, in all its glorious forms. While Bocelli sings in his mother tongue, (there are handy English translations in the CD sleeve for those of us that don't parliamo italiano), the music communicates beyond language — only a dead fish could miss the emotion in the instrumental textures and melodies.

Bocelli fans will recognise the familiar assemblage of songwriter-collaborators, including Francesco Sartori, who was responsible for the chart-topping Bocelli-Sarah Brightman duet "Time to Say Goodbye". Bocelli himself unveils his songwriting talents on "Il Diavolo e l'Angelo" and "I'Incontro".

From the opening track (and first single off the album) "Melodramma," it's obvious that Bocelli has the ability to sing an Italian pop song as well as anybody who’s in that business full-time.

After a wonderful start, the next few tracks unfold along much the same lines as run-of-the-mill pop ballads, except that the "romance factor" is heightened by the extremely sensual Italian lyrics (even if, like this reviewer, you don’t understand a single word!)

Particular tracks of note include "L'Incontro", which is prefaced by U2's Bono reciting a Bocelli-written poem inspired by the birth of his first child. "Si Volto," is a kind of duet for tenor and guitar.

"L'Abitudine" debuts the angelic voice of Helena, who was "discovered" by Caterina Caselli Sugar, the president of Sugar Music, one of Italy's leading music companies, and Bocelli’s record label.

'E Mi Manchu Tu" and "Resta Qui" won first and second place in the International Biennial Contest of Composition, chosen from compositions submitted from across the globe.

With these and other gorgeous tracks, "Cieli di Toscana" will certainly increase Bocelli's worldwide album sales, which total over 4o million since his debut with "Con Te Partiro”.