Ever since the release of their first album, IL DIVO has become a notable presence on the international music scene and has created some of the most faithful and admiring core of fans you will ever get the opportunity to meet. Evidence of their success lies in the fact that they garnered a nomination at the 2005 World Music Awards for the World’s Best-Selling New Group.
With the release of their solid second album Ancora, and at the front gate of their first world tour, IL DIVO has positioned themselves to become a sensation. Featuring the talented voices of David Miller, Urs Buhler, Carlos Marin, and Sebastien Izambard, Ancora is the vehicle that will get them where they want to go – it is a highly impressive compilation of covers (translated into Italian or Spanish) and original songs that raise their repertoire to include classical as well as extremely enjoyable pop songs.
Songs such as "All By Myself (Solo Otra Vez)," "Heroe," "You Raise Me Up," and "I Believe in You (Je Crois en Toi)," a dynamic duet with Celine Dion, are surely bound to become some of their most beloved signature hits.
Following in the steps of their successful hit "Regressa a Mi," Ancora adapts some of the most celebrated pop ballads of the past decade. For example, Mariah Carey’s version of the song "Hero" won her the Grammy in 1995 for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It also marked her eighth number 1 hit in the US.
Celine Dion’s song "All By Myself" helped win her cd Falling Into You two Grammy’s in 1996 for Best Pop Album and Album of the Year.
And Josh Groban’s version of the song "You Raise Me Up" likewise saw time at number 1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts and garnered him a Grammy nomination in 2004 for the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
On a personal note, one of my favorite songs on the album is Joaquín Rodrigo’s hauntingly beautiful song "En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor." Performed by such great artists as Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras, IL DIVO does a formidable job making this song one of their own.
Other equally impressive songs featured herein include "Isabel" (which uses the melody from "Elysium" by James Shearman, Simon Greenway, and Gabrial Faure); "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore;" "Hasta Mi Final;" "Si Tu Me Amas;" and "Esisti Dentro Me."
The operatic style is a dramatic art that employs vocals, instruments, and lyrics to convey emotion. Placido Domingo once said of singing opera that is more than just "...the mere natural charm of [the] voice... I had to constantly paint when singing, melting all the colors, expressing reds and blacks that had to be less primary but bursting with subtly colored combinations." What a wonderful way to describe the art of singing opera! In regards to IL DIVO, this description is so fitting. Their rich voices do express a depth of emotion that is colorful, utterly artistic in its presentation. I’m consistently in awe of their tone and vibratos. There exists a clarity in them, especially when they sing together, that is simply thrilling to listen to. I don’t tire of it.
In a closing note, I came across a most wonderful quote from the Rhapsody website. The reviewer (whose name was not posted) wrote that Ancora is "Pop opera straight from the Old Country featuring big, brown-eyed Italian dudes with their Armani shirts unbuttoned.... ‘All By Myself’ alone will make you wanna drown yourself in ravioli and Four Brothers tomato sauce, but the whole album is impossible to not enjoy. Classier than other groups doing this."
Classier is most definitely accurate!
Copyright© Michael Parker. Permission to reprint any portion of this review must be granted by the author, Michael Parker. Please contact him via email.
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