Personnel: Dean Parks, Michael Landau, Ramon Stagnaro, Michael Thompson (guitars); Dan Higgins (flute); David Foster , Randy Waldman (piano, keyboards); Nathan East (bass instrument); Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Paulinho Da Costa, Rafael Padilla (percussion).

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's cross-over success was firmly solidified long before the 2006 release of AMORE, and here, the singer casts an even wider net. Bocelli's voice is tailor-made for sensual romantic balladry, and naturally those songs abound. However, while past outings were marked by dramatic, though fairly straightforward orchestration and a crisp studio gloss, AMORE finds Bocelli utilizing a more diverse musical palette, including Spanish guitars, accordion, harmonica (courtesy of Stevie Wonder), saxophone (Kenny G), and--watch out--pop music's favorite nasty girl, Christina Aguilera.

With superstar producer David Foster at the helm, the Tuscan-born singer selects a collection of pop standards from the ages and from around the world, including "Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves)," "Somos Novios (It's Impossible)," and "Solamente Una Vez." And while Bocelli's voice may be best suited for classical music and light opera, he handles these songs 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.

What the critics say...

Entertainment Weekly (p.133) - "[The songs] feel relatively unforced, soothing the soul without yanking the heartstrings." -- Grade: B-