Zucchero’s All the Best

Natasha Lardera (January 31, 2008)

A new CD is out there for all those who like Italian music, Zucchero’s All the Best, a 15-song anthology that features old favorites and new tracks. The album achieved platinum sales in Italy within the first two weeks of its release, and is ready to capture the US market as well.

The singer and songwriter has personally chosen the songs, whose original releases span is from 1986 to the present, and some feature stellar guest performances from artists such Luciano Pavarotti, Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, and Vanessa Carlton.

All the Best includes a 1995 version of Senza una Donna, the track that brought him international fame when he recorded it in 1990 with Paul Young, Baila, Il Volo, and other successes. The new tracks are Wonderful Life, a cover of the 1980s hit by the British band Black, as well as I Won’t Let you Down, and You Are so Beautiful.

In a recent interview Zucchero confided that he was proud of the close bonds he’s formed with English-speaking artists such as Eric Clapton, Bono, ray Charles, and Miles Davis. “It’s not easy,” ha has said, “for a continental European artist to get the respect from an English or American artist. I think it’s different for me because my music is a little bit different. I have a lot of influences coming from the blues, soul, gospel, and Italian melodies. It’s a mixture of things they find interesting.”

How did Zucchero get to collaborate with so many international stars? The story is that in 1988 Davis stopped in Italy on a world tour and was very impressed when he heard his song Dune Mosse, which was a radio hit at the time. The obvious blues influences that Zucchero unabashedly with romantic, Italian melodies appealed to Davis so much that he proposed that they record Dune Mosse together in New York.
Ali D’Oro, recorded in 2001, also features another great American musician, John Lee Hooker, in the last recording of his career.

Back in Italy, one of Zucchero’s longtime collaborators was Luciano Pavarotti. The pair first recorded a track together in 1992, Miserere, and then started working together on annual charity events for over twenty years involving their many friends from the worlds of classical and pop music. “He left a great void in my life,” Zucchero has said.

There is an American tour planned for the fall of 2008, and we are sure he is going to woo the local audiences. “Americans are more open to Italian music now…and we are trying to do our best…” this is his promise.