Andrea

It's no mean feat being the world's foremost crossover artist--a task that risks alienating two disparate audiences and everyone in between--but somebody had to do it, and Andrea Bocelli again walks that artistic tightrope with impressive deftness. The title may imply a casual intimacy (indeed, the singer admits to taking a more "hands-on" approach to the album's conception and production), but it's a collection that nonetheless continues to expand on the Italian tenor's ambitious internationalism. His collaboration "Sin Tu Amor" immerses his voice in the Gipsy Kings' own rich Iberian folk-pop fusion with compelling results, while "Where Love Goes" (a musical focal point of the film Lazarus Child), his English language duet with 11-year-old prodigy Holly Stell, achieves an almost liturgical grace. "Tu Ci Sei" (You Are There) continues in the romantic vein of his familiar theme "Con Te Partiro" (Time to Say Goodbye), while the single "Dell' Amore Non Si Sa" (With Love You Never Know) features Bocelli in a signature dramatic tour de force collaboration with arranger Mauro Malavasi, the accomplished producer of the singer's Romanza and Sogno albums. Bocelli's shrewd taste and vocal prowess here not only again redeem an oft-maligned genre, but elevate it considerably in the bargain. --Jerry McCulley