Andrea Bocelli - Amore

I can't get enough of this CD by Andrea Bocelli. His opera work was familiar to me but this collection of romantic popular songs was a truly welcome present. Spanish, Italian, French and English tunes create a mellow atmosphere, with great accompaniment and some interesting vocal pairings.

Each of the fourteen tracks brings its own rewards but a few stand out for me. "Besame Mucho," the best version I ever heard of this romantic classic, is passionate and moody. "Mi Manchi (I Miss You)" pairs Bocelli with the incomparable Kenny G; the sentimental sound of the song matches the poignant lyrics so do check out a translation (unfortunately not included in the insert -- the only thing I'd change).

The fifth track is the unexpectedly lush "Somos Novios (It's Impossible)" in which former Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera joins Bocelli for a dreamy little duet. A couple of tracks further along Mario Reyes lends a sizzling flamenco guitar accompaniment to "Jurame (Promise Me)."

"Canzoni Stonate (Songs out of Tune)" is another duet, this time with Stevie Wonder. It's a good thing this one is in Italian, since the English translation tells a dodgy story -- but the sound is very appealing.

We have more great guitar accompaniment in "L'Appuntamento;" and the CD makes a strong finish with English and Italian versions of the inspirational "Because We Believe."

These and the other seven tracks on "Amore" add up to a romantic feast. I'm very impressed with Andrea Bocelli's versatility and with the production of this CD. "Amore" was released for Valentine's Day 2006, and it will stand the test of many Valentine's Days to come. If you are lucky in love, you'll want to cuddle up next to your special someone and enjoy this dreamy music.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Andrew Bocelli once again made a great CD. What a beautiful voice-every single song is good-could not find one I didn't like.

this album is amazing...I have two copies, one in my home, and one I keep in my car. Andrea's voice is so incredibly inviting, it's hard not to fall in love just because. The lyrics will make any girl melt!

I must say - as a die-hard Andrea Bocelli fanatic, I was very excited about this CD the moment it was first announced for pre-order. I pre-ordered it because I couldn't wait to hear what he would do for this one even though it was released in 2006.

Although this album marks the first time he ever devoted an entire album to covers of his favorite songs (not counting "Because We Believe," which appears in two versions and which Bocelli himself co-wrote with David Foster, one of this album's producers - that producer's daughter wrote the English lyrics), the best part is Bocelli sticks to the traditional romantic ballad formula that's made him a beloved figure in many parts of the world all this time. At the same time, he branches out into a more traditional Latin ballad style with this album. (NOTE: The style is NOT like Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Shakira, etc., but more in the Luis Miguel/Julio Iglesias fashion.)

If I were to choose my three favorite songs from this album, they would be "Bésame Mucho," "Somos Novios (It's Impossible)" with Christina Aguilera (she sounds AMAZING in this song and I usually don't like her for the "standard" music she's been doing), and "Because We Believe" (the song I mentioned earlier), which was first introduced at the start of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, and as "Ama Credi e Vai" went on to become the theme song to the 2006 World Cup. "Because We Believe" is the best of the lot because of its inspirational lyrics and soaring, yet optimistic, Viennese waltz-style arrangement.

The other songs are magnificent, too, but the three I chose stand out.

Well, anyway, I recommend this album to anyone and everyone who has an ear for soft, pleasant, romantic music. If you can't handle an album with a sophisticated style like this or an artist like Andrea Bocelli (his style IS complex!), then just stick to your precious Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, the Backstreet Boys, N Sync, Justin Timberlake, Lindsay Lohan, and your precious hard pop, hard R&B, hip-hop, and harder mainstream rock bands, all of which there are too many to mention nowadays. Some people prefer music like this to those artists and I don't blame them.

I'm goin' to sleep. Good night!

If you are a romantic, if you 'love' to be 'in love', then this album is for you. A glass of wine, some bread and cheese and the songs on this album will help you to remember all those good times and wonderful feelings you've had in your lifetime. There's no other singer that I've ever heard sing, that has made me weep with joy upon hearing his voice - only Andrea Bocelli has done that. This album actually rates as a second to my favorite album of his: ROMANZA. Listen to this music and you will fall in love.