Thematic albums tend to be quite successful for vocal artists, especially for
Andrea Bocelli, whose large discography is dominated by such attention-getting collections. For
Cinema, his 2015 release on Decca,
Bocelli performs passionate songs that have become famous through the films that featured them. Three of the songs first became popular in musicals, so Maria from West Side Story, The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera, and No llores por mi, Argentina from Evita have been included because of their later film versions. The program includes many popular movie melodies, such as Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago, Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Be My Love from The Toast of New Orleans, Mi Mancherai from Il Postino/The Postman, and other well-known songs that receive the Italian tenor's smooth treatment in lush arrangements. The inclusion of duets with rising singers is another feature of best-selling vocal albums, and true to form,
Bocelli shares the limelight with
Veronica Berti in Cheek to Cheek from Top Hat,
Ariana Grande in E più ti penso from Once Upon a Time in America, and
Nicole Scherzinger in No llores por mi, Argentina. This is
Bocelli's 15th studio album, his first in two years, so his fans will embrace it enthusiastically. ~ Blair Sanderson