The Best of Andrea Bocelli - 'Vivere'

I was very pleased with this selection of Andrea Bocelli CD. I enjoy all the songs and also the different artists that accompany him on some of the selections. Nice compilation. Also I enjoy it when he sings in Spanish. Good choice!

I bought this CD for my aunt who really loved it. Andrea Bocelli's voice is beautiful as always.

...is to go song-by-song (or rather, track-by-track).

1. La Voce del Silenzio: This is a cover of an Italian love song previously recorded by Mina and Dionne Warwick, and the first of five new recordings made specifically for this album. Simple, but lavish.

2. Sogno: Track 3 on the 1999 album of the same name. It's sweet and sentimental at the same time, and Bocelli's performance only adds to it instead of taking anything away.

3. Il Mare Calmo della Sera: The opener of his true debut (1994 album of same name) and Track 4 on Romanza. Powerful, but very well sung.

4. Dare to Live (Vivere): This is a reworking of Bocelli's own duet with Gerardina Trovato, from the 'Romanza' and IMCDS albums, this time with Laura Pausini singing the newly translated English lyrics. Different from the original, but good...possibly the best on this CD so far.

5. Canto della Terra (Album Version): Opener on 'Sogno.' It pays tribute to humanity and the earth itself (as the song indicates). This is a 'new mix' by Humberto Gatica, as is one of the older songs below. Well done.

6. A Te: A self-written composition that employs smooth jazz instrumentalist Kenny G for the second time in Bocelli's recording career (they'd worked together on the song 'Mi Manchi,' from the Andrea Bocelli - Amore CD). This is good, too.

7. Besame Mucho: Taken from the 'Amore' album, this is one of his few attempts at a 'sensual' number. It's actually very soothing more than sensual, and a well-timed interpretation to boot.

8. Mille Lune Mille Onde: A 'Cieli di Toscana' selection that doesn't appear on the standard American release of this album, but is available on the Deluxe Edition and other releases of this CD. Mellow, sensual, and appealing.

9. Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro) (with Sarah Brightman): Everyone knows this song. It was his only #1 hit (he recorded it solo first), but not even the most curmudgeonly listener can deny it's just as brilliant as it was back in 1995-97.

10. Io Ci Saro: Chinese pianist Lang Lang's performance on this song, when paired with Bocelli's vocals and backed by an almost movie soundtrack-resembling score, makes for another timeless musical number on this track.

11. Romanza: Title track of 1997 album. Again, well arranged and well sung.

12. Vivo per Lei (with Giorgia): Bocelli sang this song with many different women (who in turn sang them in their own native languages). This is the all-Italian version, which he would sing with Heather Headley on his 2008 release, Vivere Live in Tuscany [DVD/CD], and it's still as good as it was when he originally sang it with German singer Judy Weiss on his 1995 Bocelli CD.

13. Melodramma: Taken from his 2001 Cieli di Toscana album, this song captures his heartfelt emotions about lost love in 4 minutes. Brilliant.

14. Bellissime Stelle: The mood suddenly shifts to midtempo funk dressed with symphonic styles and even a full choir heard at the end, but the end result is amazing, as usual.

15. The Prayer (with Celine Dion): Second track on the Sogno CD. Very sentimental, indeed, but remarkable.

16. Because We Believe: The closer on the 'Amore' CD served two purposes - one of which was as the theme to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, and the other of which became 'Ama Credi e Vai' as a duet with Gianna Nannini for the 2006 World Cup. Its powerful message and soaring, almost Viennese Waltz-style arrangement, make this a winner and a fantastic finish to this album.

FINAL VERDICT: I don't seem to find anything wrong with this Greatest Hits album (the second he has not counting his 2000 Japan-only 'Per Amore' release), and whatever may be wrong with it is practically miniscule. Although nothing from his 'Andrea' album is included here, the Japan release of this album (available on Japanese online stores) has 'Dell'Amore Non Si Sa' with Hayley Westenra and 'Somos Novios' with Japanese singer Rimi Natsukawa, both as bonus tracks. Overall, this just might be his second best album only to 'Romanza,' and maybe the best album by a male artist released at any time in 2007, but all of his pop albums have been top-notch. You have to give him credit. It's not like he's doing stuff that will turn away so many of his fans forever.

Final Grade: A (in everything)

This is a wonderful CD which has his best songs from Romanza and Sogno. It includes duets with Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion and others. If you are a Bocelli fan, this CD will become a favorite.

What can I say ? ...in my own and my wife's opinion he is The Best !!
If you like Andrea, you will love this one