August 2005
Zucchero & Co
Adelmo Forniciari, aka Zucchero ("sugar" in Italian) has been known in Europe for years, but is relatively unknown on our shores. Here he has constructed an album that may well get him noticed here. Built around duets with such musical luminaries and pop stars as John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, and Dolores Oriordan, "Zucchero & Co." seems to be tailored to fit the American mainstream adult-contempo-rock market.
How does it come across? Well, the music is very well produced, and the overall sound is a kind of slick and clean electro-pop. Eveything is in its right place and theres not the slightest grit anywhere, lending an inhuman quality to it. To my ears this renders the varied and often soulful vocal perfomances null. Everything blends together into a sort of Moby-lite elevator atmosphere, and I'm left with little feeling regarding the album as a whole. In fact, when a particular vocal stands out (as on the lead off track "I Lay Down" featuring John Lee Hooker) the effect is more jarring than satisfying, making me wish I could hear the vocal in a more suited atmosphere. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, or maybe this would have struck me as innovative if the album had been released when it was recorded in 2001, but this one isn't doing it for me. I'll recommend this for those who still havent heard enough of Moby's "Play" or needing some good clean background music for reading or bedtime maybe.
Check here - Zucchero & Co. - for sound clips and more from Adelmo Fornaciari
Reviewed for Coffeerooms by G.Mazz - Talk about it here
Posted August 24, 2005 Permalink
