Five new German tour dates are in for May 2007, which means we now have the following concert dates for which tickets are allready on sale:
MAY
03 FRANCE, Paris - L'Olympia
04 FRANCE, Paris - L'Olympia
07 GERMANY, Dusseldorf - Philipshalle
09 GERMANY, Berlin - Tempodrom
13 AUSTRIA, Bergenz - Arena
15 SWITZERLAND, Zurich - Hallenstadion
20 AUSTRIA, Vienna - Stadthalle
22 GERMANY, Frankfurt - Jahrhunderthalle
23 BELGIUM, Brussel - Vorst Nationaal
25 GERMANY, München - Olympiahalle
28 THE NETHERLANDS, Amsterdam - Heineken Music Hall
30 GERMANY, Hamburg - Laeiszhalle
JUNE
02 SWITZERLAND, Gènève - Arena
For links to the ticket websites check our tour site.
Last friday Zucchero appeared on the French talentshow Staracademy. During the show he performed Occhi and Baila with some of the contestants. And of course You Tube has the videos:
Occhi video / Grammy nomination Sam Moore December 9, 2006
The official video of Occhi, the second single from Zucchero's latest album Fly, can be seen on Youtube. The video has been made by a group of Italian directors and was recorded in New York and Italy.
Soul legend Sam Moore was nominated for a Grammy award yesterday for "Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance" for the song You Are So Beautiful from his recent album Overnight Sensation. The song features guest appearances by the late Billy Preston (who wrote the track many years ago), Eric Clapton and Zucchero (although he only sings along a few sentences). Zucchero has never been nominated before, so if Moore wins, it would be the first time Zucchero would win (indirectly) a Grammy.
Zucchero, by others December 1, 2006
While FLY is receding from most of Europe's album charts, some of Zucchero's songs have recently been covered by other artists:
Francesco De Gregori recently released a 3 cd compilation set which includes "Diamante". The song, which was first featured on Zucchero's Oro Incenso e Birra, was written by Zucchero and De Gregori, who also penned the lyrics to Zucchero's "Pane e Sale" and "Tobia"
Italian singer Laura Pausini has recorded "Come il Sole All'Improvviso" for her new cover album Io Canto. "Come il Sole" was on Zucchero's Rispetto album.
Dutch-Italian singer Marco Borsato recently performed a series of stadium concerts under the title "Symphonica in Rosso". The show's setlists included an Italian medley of which "Senza Una Donna" was a part and a dvd of the show has recently been released.
FLY Tour; the dates until now November 18, 2006
The first tourdates for Zucchero's European FLY tour are coming in. Although the official site has not published anything yet, the following dates have been on sale:
February 27 FRANCE, Paris - L'Olympia
February 28 FRANCE, Paris - L'Olympia
May 15 SWITZERLAND, Zurich - Hallenstadion
May 28 THE NETHERLANDS, Amsterdam - Heineken Music Hall
June 02 SWITZERLAND, Gènève - Arena
The Paris dates are either sold out, or will soon be rescheduled because ordering tickets is not possible anymore for those dates, for the other three tickets can be bought online - for links, see our Tour page.
International Children's Peace Prize in Amsterdam / Charts November 13, 2006
Zucchero is scheduled to appear in Amsterdam this sunday during the International Children’s Peace Prize ceremonies. The prize was installed in 2005 by all Nobel Peace Prize winners who were gathered in Rome and will be presented by former South-African president De Klerk. At the show, which will take place on Dam square from 19;00 until 20;30 Zucchero will perform along side Dutch artists like Ilse DeLange (who cooperated with Zucchero on Blue in 2005) and Blof and international artists like Sarah Brightman, the Sugababes and UB40. The show is free and will be shown on Dutch national tv live.
Occhi video/ Fly South American edition in February / Charts November 7, 2006
A new video has been released for "Occhi", the next radio-single in Italy. The video has been recorded in New York and Milan, and has been directed by the artistic group Kroitnijz. The video is currently not available online, but when it is we'll post the link here.
Billboard Magazine has published a short article about the chart succes of Fly and it mentioned that Zucchero will start touring in March and that the South American version of Fly (which includes a few songs in Spanish) will be released in March.
We've got some links for buying Massimo Cotto's new book on Zucchero online. Try either the official website store (downside is the international shipping of 13 bucks, plus side is that you only pay that per order), or Internetbookshop.it (thanks to Otto for the link!).
Since today a new book on Zucchero, by Italian journalist Massimo Cotto, has been released today. "Incontri con il diavolo e l'acqua santa" is the first book that Zucchero collaborated on since 1996's "Blues e altre storie" by Enzo Gentile. We haven't been able to find an online store that sells it, but if we do the link will be put online.
Fly is still doing good throughout Europe. In Switzerland it has made platinum, in Italy it already was double platinum after its first week. The charts this week are:
Italy: 1 (1, 1, 1)
Switzerland: 1 (2, 1)
Austria: 4 (3, 4)
Greece: 9 (13)
Belgium (Wallony): 44 (43)
the Netherlands: 45 (29, 37, 29)
Germany: 48 (30, 23)
France: 74, (68)
Billboard European top 100: 9 (9, 8)
Occhi/ Songs & Charts October 17, 2006
The new (radio)single in Italy will be Occhi. The ballad, written by Zucchero, is the third song on Fly and Zucchero´s favorite slow song on the new album. The single will most likely not be available in stores, although it might be sold on Itunes (but then again, if you own the album, what would be the use).
Two of Zucchero´s songs have been covered by two other Italian singers. Francesco de Gregori´s recording of Diamante is technically not a cover since he wrote the lyrics to this classic (he also wrote the Zucchero tracks Pane e Sale and most recently Tobia) and now for the first time recorded it for a compilation set that will be released next month. Laura Pausini has recorded a version of Come il sole all improvviso with French singer Johnny Hallyday for her new album.
And finally the charts update for Fly:
Italy: 1 (1, 1)
Switzerland: 2 (1)
Austria: 3 (4)
Germany: 30 (23)
the Netherlands: 29
Belgium (Wallony): 43
France: 68
Billboard European top 100: 9 (8)
Vasco / Charts October 11, 2006
In the category "Italian rock problems": in an open letter published on his official website, Zucchero has announced that Un Kilo (one of the songs on his new album Fly) is not about the Italian rocker Vasco Rossi. Rumours had been going on about this since the album came out and the unflattering lyrics (the chorus starts with Il tuo cervello non pesa un kilo - your brain doesnt weigh a kilo). Zucchero says he has a lot of respect for Vasco and that bashing a fellow collegue is not his style.
Zucchero remains number 1 in Italy, in Switzerland and the Netherlands Fly goes down a bit. Not all the new charts are in yet but these are the results so far;
Italy: 1 (1)
Switzerland: 2 (1)
Netherlands: 37 (29) Charts and videos October 7, 2006
After excellent sales in the first week of its release, Fly has entered Billboard's European Album top 100 at a smashing nr. 8. In Germany, the album entered the charts at nr. 23. All this leads to the following list;
Italy: 1
Switzerland: 1
Austria: 4
Germany: 23
the Netherlands: 29
Billboard European top 100: 8
(we did some digging in our archives; when Shake was released 5 years ago, it too entered the Italian and Swiss charts at nr 1, but in Austria it only opened at 23, in the Netherlands it never got past 80).
The official videos for Cuba Libre and Venus y Baco can be seen online. Cuba Libre is available on the French Universal Music website and Venus y Baco (the Spanish version of Bacco Perbacco) can be seen on the Italian version of Launch. (kudos to gianluca on the official zucchero forum for finding them)
Fly in the charts/ Special edition (?) October 5, 2006
Fly has entered the Swiss album top 100 at nr. 1 and the Austrian top 100 at nr. 4. As reported monday, Fly also opened at 1 in the Italian charts and at 29 in the Dutch charts. No news in yet on charts in Germany, Belgium or France.
It looks like a special edition of Fly, with three live tracks from the ZU & Co Royal Albert Hall concert as bonus tracks, has been released in Austria. However, we have no idea where it is on sale. The tracklist is;
Bacco Perbacco
Un Kilo
Occhi
Quanti anni ho
Cuba Libre
E'Delicato
L'Amore e nell'aria
Pronto
Let it shine
Troppo Fedelta
Nel Cosi' Blu
Flying Away (Occhi)
Shine
Everybody's got to learn sometime (with Jenny Bae)
Hey Man (with Eric Clapton)
Cosi Celeste (with Cheb Mami)
Fly at 1 October 3, 2006
Fly has already gone double platinum in Italy since its release on september 22 and has entered the Italian album charts at nr. 1. Good news for Zucchero, but not extremely surprising since Zucchero's most recent albums Shake and ZU & Co managed to do the same. Only one other chart position is in yet; in the Netherlands Fly entered the album top 100 at 29, which is Zucchero's highest Dutch entry.
Fly day / Tour September 22, 2006
"Fly" is available in stores throughout Italy and Europe today (with the exception of Spain and France who will have to wait one more week).
Although only two tourdates are official, it looks like Zucchero will spend 2007 touring Europe and perhaps the U.S.. In some of the interviews he has given in the past week he has announced that we will start selecting musicians for his band and that Irene (his youngest daughter who has an album coming out in october and is a vocalist on Fly) will join him on tour.
Finally: Zucchero will play (most likely playback) Bacco Perbacco during the final night of Miss Italia on RAI UNO tonight. The show starts around 20;30, it is unclear at what time Zucchero will appear.
2 days to go... September 20, 2006
On friday Zucchero's latest album "FLY" (his 11th studio album) will be released and last monday Zucchero presented the album to the press during a one hour showcase to the press in Venice. The album will be released in four different versions (Italian, international, Spanish and South-American) and 12 brand new songs were recorded (of which one, "E Di Grazia Plena" is only on the Italian version and one, "Nel Cosi Blu" - a cover of Procul Harum's "Salty Dog" - is only on the international versions and not on the Italian). During the performance, Zucchero performed Bacco Perbacco, E'Delicato, Shine, Devil in me, Everybody's got to learn sometime, You are so beautiful and Diamante.
For more information on the "FLY" album, check our new page devoted to it. For some video footage of the presentation of the album and a clip from the new single "Occhi" see here.
8 days to go... / ZDF/ Cheap gigs September 14, 2006
... until the return of the sugar man. Next friday Zucchero's brand new studio album Fly will be in stores. The album will be released in an Italian version (with 11 new tracks), an international version (the 11 italian songs plus 2 english versions) and a Spanish version (three spanish songs, eight italian and the 2 english versions).
Zucchero will perform during "Das SWR3 New Pop Festival", which will be shown by German tv network ZDF on saturday, September 30. The show will be recorded on the 23d and tickets are available through www.sw3.de.
And finally; in an interview with Italian mag Panorama, Zucchero has said he wouldn't pay 40 bucks to see himself play live so we expect tickets for his upcomming tour to be cheap.
Starnacht / Austrian Tourdates? / Corrado Rustici September 12, 2006
This saturday Zucchero appeared on Austrian TV for the live tv show "Starnacht in Wien". He performed Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime and the new single Cuba Libre. The Austrian Universal Music site also has three dates of Zucchero appearing in Austria in February 2007:
February 21: Wien - Stadhalle
February 23: Salzburg
February 24: Bergenz
Tickets do not appear to be on sale yet though.
As previously mentioned, Zucchero's former producer and album guitarist Corrado Rustici will release his first solo album in October. The album will be called "Deconstruction of a Postmodern Musician", and includes collaborations with several artists Corrado has worked with before. It's not clear if Zucchero is involved though.
Fly presentation in Venice September 06, 2006
The presentation of Zucchero's new studio album "Fly" will take place in Venice on September 18 (less than two weeks away). Where specifically is not clear and it is also not clear if ticket purchase is possible or necessary to be present. When "Shake" was presented to the press in 2001, fanclub members were allowed in.
International version "Fly" / Miss Italia / Sam Moore September 02, 2006
An international edition of Fly will be released, but it looks like it won't be of the usual kind. From Miserere (1992) on Zucchero has released his studio albums in different versions, usually the original Italian version, an "international" edition with several songs sang in English and a Spanish edition with songs in Spanish. This time the international edition appears to be the Italian tracklist, plus two or three English songs as a bonus. According to several online music stores and the Austrian Universal Music site this will be the international tracklist:
Bacco Perbacco
Un Kilo
Occhi
Quanti anni ho
Cuba Libre
E'Delicato
L'Amore e nell'aria
Pronto
Let it shine
Troppo Fedelta
Nel Cosi' Blu
Flying Away (Occhi)
Shine
The difference between the tracklist published on Zucchero's official website is in the last three songs (Nel Cosi' Blu is not on their tracklist, and E Di Grazia Piena is not on this list), with Flying Away (Occhi) and Shine having very similar titles to other songs on the album. A Spanish edition will at least include the Spanish version of Cuba Libre.
And some smaller news items:
- Zucchero will appear during one of the tv broadcasts of Miss Italia at the end of September. The shows will be broadcast by RAI Uno.
- Sam Moore's "Overnight Sensation", which was produced by former Zucchero band mate Randy Jackson and includes guest performances by among others Bruce Springsteen, Wynonna, Sting, Steve Winwood and many others is out now. The album's last track, "You Are So Beautiful" includes performances by Billy Preston (the author of the song on his last recording before his death), Robert Randolph, Eric Clapton and Zucchero (although Zucch's vocals are only present at the very end of the song.
Judge; "Blu" not plagiarism August 28, 2006
A court in Milan today has ruled in favor of Zucchero in a case started against him, his co-author Pasquale Pannella and Universal Music, by Italian singer Michele Pecora. Pecora believed that Zucchero's 1998 song "Blu" (from Bluesugar and recently Zucchero & Co) was copied from his song "Era Lei". Pecora believed that the lines "sere d'estate, dimenticate" and melody from the chorus of "Blu" were plagiarized from his "(era lei) poesie d'estate, (era lei) dimenticate". The case has been in and out of the news since "Blu" was released.
Updates/ Lisa Hunt August 25, 2006
As you can see, we changed the site a little. Most notably, we've added a new section called "video" which contains links to Zucch vids on the net.
Lisa Hunt, Zucchero's regular vocalist (with Elaine Jackson of course), is touring Australia in the next months with her Forever Soul tour in which she and her band perform some of the greatest soul songs. She also recently got stuck in Libanon when the war erupted and was evacuated by U.S. Marines (our girl gets around). Read all about it, and check her tour dates on Lisa's official website.
"FLY" IT IS new album out sept 22/ presentation sep 18/ 11 new songs August 23, 2006
Fly will indeed be the title of the new Zucchero album. The official Zucchero website has released the official annoucement that this new album will be released on september 22 and will have 11 new songs, including the singles "Bacco Perbacco" and "Cuba Libre". The entire tracklist is:
Bacco Perbacco
Un Kilo
Occhi
Quanti anni ho
Cuba Libre
E'Delicato
L'Amore e nell'Aria
Pronto
Let it shine
Troppa Fedeltà
E Di Grazia Piena
The album will be presented to the press on september 18. It is unclear if fans can be presented during this event (for the Shake presentation members of the official fanclub were invited and for ZU & Co there was of course the Royal Albert Hall concert) but we'll keep you updated.
Overnight Sensational out Aug. 29 / Chocabeck? August 18, 2006
The highly anticipated Sam Moore album "Overnight Sensational" will be out Aug. 29 and Zucchero takes part on one song, Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful". You can listen to several cuts of the new album through this link (You Are So Beautiful is the last song). Zucchero's parts on the song are limited to some short vocals at the end though.
Its probably some Dutch miscomunication but two Dutch recordstores announce the new Zucchero cd with the title "Chocabeck" , whatever that may mean.
"FLY" August 13, 2006
According to Swiss online cd store Citydisc.ch the title of Zucchero's new studio album (out september 22) will be "Fly".
Charts / New Album August 10, 2006
Bacco Perbacco last week entered the Italian singles charts at number 38 and this week went up to nr. 33, all this based on airplay and online sales. Meanwhile, Cuba Libre has been picked up by some radiostations in Belgium while Bacco Perbacco will be released in Switzerland. Zucchero himself is currently on vacation so not a whole lot of news will come out in the next few weeks.
So in the meantime, this is what we know about what will happen the coming months:
The new studio album (which for now is still title less) will be released on september 22 (3 days before Zucchero's 51st birthday). The album will include the singles Bacco Perbacco and Cuba Libre and an undisclosed amount of other songs
The album has been produced by Don Was, who in the past has produced albums for the likes of Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Bonny Raitt and The Rolling Stones (including their latest release "A Bigger Bang"). The new album will therefore be the first studio album since "Un Po' di Zucchero" (1982) that was not produced by Corrado Rustici. The album has been recorded in Los Angeles, although earlier reports seemed to point to France as the place where Zucchero was working on his new songs.
The personell that is working on the album remains largely unclear, but a few names have come up: Robyx, with whom Zucchero co-wrote the Shake hits Baila and Ahum, has teamed up with Zucchero for the lyrics and arrangements of Bacco Perbacco. Max Marcolini, who has previously worked on Bluesugar, Shake and ZU & Co and plays leadguitar in Irene Fornaciari's band, is also involved in the album. Pino Palladino, the famous bass player who is currently touring with The Who, has recorded parts for the album, as has Kenny Aranoff, one of the greatest rock 'n roll drummers in the world and currently on tour with CCR's John Fogerty.
A new (European) tour will most likely start in February 2007. Right now two concerts in Paris have been announced and are on sale (although the official Zucchero website does not mention them). No other dates are in yet.
Video "Bacco Perbacco" / Youtube (2) August 7, 2006
The videoclip for "Bacco Perbacco" has been released. The clip is directed by Meiert Avis, who in the past has also directed videos for Bruce Springsteen and U2, and features Zucchero (the new look includes a long gray beard and what can only be described as an Indiana Jones-esque hat) playing the song while attractive half-naked women and men dance around. You can watch the video online on the Italian Universal music site although you do have to register first.
And a few more Zucchero-related You Tube videos:
Miserere - live with Placido Domingo Cosi Celeste - live with Brian May at the 46664 concert in Tromso
And Cosi Celeste - live with Cheb Mami during the RAH concert
Cuba Libre & Bacco Perbacco/Youtube July 29, 2006
Bacco Perbacco is receiving quite a lot of airplay in Italy, and Slovenia (which is surprisingly into Zucchero since 2001's Shake album). Cuba Libre seems to be a different story: German music websites have its release for the end of august and it appears to have been pulled from Itunes. No information is in yet on music videos of either of the two tracks, or on the musicians appearing on the new album, apart from bass player Pino Palladino (who was also on Shake).
And for the few people who haven't found out about Youtube yet; some great Zucchero videos can be found there like
Pane e Sale - the official video for this Spirito DiVino track Everybody's got to learn sometime - live at the first 46664 concert in Cape Town, together with Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor and Sharon Corr Hey Man - live at the Royal Albert Hall in may 2004, Eric Clapton guests on guitar Il Volo - the official video for this Spirito DiVino track Eres mi religion - Mexican rock band Máná featuring Zucchero during a live performance of their hit Eres mi Religion
Bacco Perbacco/Cuba Libra on Itunes / Laura Pausini / July 15, 2006
Both Bacco Perbacco and Cuba Libre, the two new singles that have been released to support the upcomming new album, are now for sale at Itunes (the Italian store) and other websites selling mp3s. Bacco Perbacco has been played on Italian radiostations since july 14th and last week entered the Italian airplay charts at number 5. No news is in on when the song will be available on single or when a videoclip will be released.
Italian media have reported that singer Laura Pausini will record a Zucchero song for the soundtrack of a new Italian animation movie. Pausini will record "Come il sole all'imprivviso" (written by Zucchero and Gino Paoli), which was previously performed by Zucchero on the Blue's album and most recently redone with Macy Gray for ZU & Co.
Listen to Bacco Perbacco online July 15, 2006
Universal Music Italy has put the complete "Bacco Perbacco" online on its website. The song can be listened to only after you register (left upper screen) and the link to "Bacco Perbacco" is on the opening screen under 'audio'. If you don't want Universal Music to have your email address, you can also listen to Radio Marte (click on ascolta online). which has made the single its Disco Marte of the week (meaning they play it daily at 7;45 am, 12;45 am, 4;45 pm, 7;45 pm and 11;45 pm Italian time). Other Italian radiostations - like Capital and RTL (click on ascolta online RTL 102.5) - also have the song on their playlist.
Bacco Perbacco & Cuba Libre July 14, 2006
Not one but two new singles have been released to radiostations throughout Europe today. "Bacco Perbacco" for the Italian market and a song called "Cuba Libre" for the International market. Both songs are in Italian (mostly) and (co)written by Zucchero. Producer for both tracks is Don Was.
Bacco Perbacco was written by Zucchero and Robyx who together also wrote the Shake songs Baila (Sexy Thing) and Ahum. The song's an up tempo rock song with a Baila meets X colpa di chi? meets country feel with Zucchero's trademark voice and female backing vocals. On Zucchero's official site
a a 30 second sample. of the second verse can be heard. No information is in on which musicians appear on the song. The lyrics are the following:
Ci vuole qualche cosa
Qualche cosa di piu’
Ci vuole un po’ di pushing pushing
Quando il sole va’, il sole va’ giu’
Ci vedi qualche cosa
Di positivo in un no
Ci vuole un po’ di catching funky
Quando il sole no, il sole non ho
Oh yeah… yeah!
Ci vuole qualche d’uno
Che mi ami di piu’
Ci vuole un po’ di pushing pushing
Quando il sole va’, il sole va’ giu’
Ci vuole un’altra cosa
Forse un’Ave Maria
Ci vuole un po’ di mercy mercy
Quando il sole va’, il sole va’ via
Baby don’t cry
Make it funky
Pane e vino io ti portero’
Miele e venere su dai campi
Che c’ho l’anima nel fondo del Po
Ci vuole quella cosa
Che ci manca di piu’
Che siamo quasi tutti ai frutti
Quando il sole va’, il sole va’ giu’
Ma vedi qualche cosa
Di positivo in un mai
Ci vuole un po’ di mercy mercy
Quando il sole no, il sole non hai
Baby don’t cry
Make it funky
Pane e vino io ti portero’
Miele e venere su dai campi
Che c’ho l’anima nel fondo del Po
Baby don’t cry
Make it funky
Pane e vino portero’ x te
Miele e venere x tutti quanti
Che c’ho l’anima nel fondo del Po
Bacco perbacco
Ecco cos’e’ vivere
Bacco perbacco
Dimmi dov’e’ venere
Baby don’t cry
Make it funky
Pane e vino io ti portero’
Miele e venere su dai campi
Che c’ho l’anima nel fondo del Po
Baby don’t cry
Make it funky
Pane e vino portero’ per te
Miele e venere x tutti quanti
Che c’ho l’anima nel fondo del Po
Che c’ho l’anima nel fondo del Po
Cuba Libre is written by Zucchero and musically (as far as we can tell based on the a 30 second sample from Zucchero's official site) unlike any other Zucchero song and much more South American (ergo the title perhaps). The lyrics are the following:
Eri la mia vita
La mia religione sempre
Eri un sole
Che mi stava in fronte
Eri il ritmo delle mie notti
Hasta l’hasta siempre
Domani vado via
Da San Francisco night
A San Francisco night
Io non ci torno piu’
Che mi dispiace lo sai
Ma non ci credo piu’
I nostri sogni nel vento
Non li ricordo piu’
Ho desideri
Molto piu’ seri
Di quelli che sai tu
Mi piace la lasagna
E poi mi piaci tu
Un po’ di marijuana
Sotto il cielo blu
A San Francisco night
Ho visto il diavolo
Perche’ d’amore ti vesti
Che amore non c’e’ piu’
Se siamo fatti di stelle
E’ meglio un cielo blu
Ho desideri
Cieli al gin tonic
Di quelli che vuoi tu
Mi piace la lasagna
E poi mi piaci tu
Un po’ di marijuana
Sotto il cielo blu
Mi piace la notte all’Havana
E poi mi piaci tu
Ma sogno un cuba libre mio amor
Sotto il cielo blu.....
Il cielo blu
Ahy que bailar la salsa
Ti cura il dolor
Vai che la salsa
Ti cura l’amor
Mi piace la bologna
E poi mi piaci tu
Un po’ di marijuana
Sotto il cielo blu
Mi piace la notte all’Havana
E poi mi piaci tu
Ma sogno un cuba libre mio amor
Un altro cuba libre mio amor
Che cerco un po’ d’amore mio amor
Sotto il cielo blu…..
Hasta l’asta siempre………
Bacco Perbacco July 12, 2006
It's official: from this friday on Italian radiostations will start playing "Bacco Perbacco" the first single of Zucchero's new studio album - which will be released at the end of september -. "Bacco Perbacco" is produced by Don Was, the legendary album producer behind works of (amongst others) Bony Raitt, Bob Dylan, Elton John and the most recent Rolling Stones album.
Album release date / Sam Moore July 10, 2006
Whether or not the new single is actually called "Baco Perbacco" and whether or not it will be released this friday remains unclear but Swiss cd store citydisc.ch has put Zucchero's new album on its website. The title is still to be announced but the release date is set for September 22.
The entire tracklist for Sam Moore's new album "Overnight Sensationally" is in. The album will include one Zucchero duet: "You Are So Beautiful", also featuring Eric Clapton and Billy Preston (who wrote the classic). Sam Moore was a member of Sam & Dave who had hits with "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man". The tracklist is:
"I Can't Stand the Rain" featuring Wynonna, Bekka Bramlett, Billy Preston and Bebe Winans
"Better To Have and Not Need" featuring Bruce Springsteen
"Blame It on the Rain" featuring Fantasia
"Lookin' for a Love" featuring Jon Bon Jovi
"Ain't No Love" featuring Steve Winwood
"None of Us Are Free" featuring Sting and Sheila E.
"It's Only Make Believe" featuring Mariah Carey and Vince Gill
"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" featuring Bekka Bramlett
"If I Had No Loot" featuring Van Hunt, Nikka Costa and Billy F. Gibbons
"Riding Thumb" featuring Travis Tritt and Robert Randolph
"We Shall Be Free" featuring Paul Rodgers
"You Are So Beautiful" featuring Billy Preson, Zucchero, Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph
NEW SINGLE: "BACO PERBACO" No appearance at Montreux/Santana show / Sam Moore album July 08, 2006
Zucchero's new single is called "Baco Perbaco" and will be released (most likely first to radio stations) on July 14. The title (if we have been informed correctly, Baco is Italian for Bacchus the ancient Greek god of wine and perbaco is an Italian curseword) seems to have been taken from the original title of Shake, which was "Baco, Perbaco e Venere". No information on lyrics, music style, musicians or producer is in yet however.
Unfortunately for those who managed to get tickets; Zucchero's scheduled performance on monday during Carlos Santana's "My Blues is Deep" concert in Montreux has been cancelled. In a press release, Montreux announced that Zucchero had informed them that he could only appear if he was done working on his new album and that a delay of several weeks had occurred.
And finally: on Sam Moore's (of the legendary soul duo Sam & Dave) Zucchero sings "You are so beautiful". The album, produced by American Idol judge and (way-back-when) Zucchero bass player, Randy Jackson is called "Overnight Sensational" and includes appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carrey, Wynnonna, Steve Winwood and Sting. "You are so beautiful" is performed by Sam Moore, Zucchero, Eric Clapton, Robert Randolph and the late Billy Preston.
Official Fanclub: "Top Secret from USA" July 06, 2006
The official Zucchero fanclub has announced on its website that a new issue of FunkyGallo (its magazine) will be send out this week to the fanclub members. The issue includes articles on, amongst others, Mastichi Aria (the Irene Fornaciari song Zucchero has written), the different Zucchero tribute bands and one called "Top Secret from USA", presumably about the new album Zucchero is recording so more information on this album (the first collection of new work to appear since 2001's Shake) is imminent. No release date of the first single or the entire album is in yet, but next monday Zucchero will perform with Santana (one of the rumoured guest artists on the new album) at Montreux Festival.
2 Concerts in Paris in February 2007 June 07, 2006
The first dates for a potential new european tour seem to be in: on february 27 and 28 next year Zucchero will perform in the L'Olympia in Paris. Tickets are already for sale and can be purchased through this website. Zucchero is currently working on a new studio album. Rumours are the disc will be produced by Stephen Lipson but nothing official is in yet on a release date.
Irene Fornaciari June 01, 2006
One of Zucchero's daughters, Irene Fornaciari, will release her first single this week. The song is (co)written by Zucchero for her and is called "Mastichi Aria". Irene also took part during the ZU & Co concert in the Royal Albert Hall, where she sang Like the Sun with her father.
Dalí / Soraya May 30, 2006
There's some confusion about whether or not it's the actual Zucchero singing, but Spanish mobile phone company Amena is selling a song called "My Moustache" (inspired by Salvador Dalí) that seems to have Zucchero singing (or someone pretending to be Zucchero). Make up your own mind about the controversy and listen on this website (click on the Dalí picture, and then on "Ver videoclip" or "Escuchar Cancion").
And some sad news: Columbian singer Soraya has passed away earlier this month in the United States. Soraya, from Columbia, debuted in 1996 with her album "On Nights Like These". In 1996 she performed as Zucchero's opening act on several occasions, and during those shows also performed a violin solo on "Il Volo". Soraya had been battling breast cancer since a tumor was discovered in 2002, until she passed away May 10, at the age of 37.
Montreux Sold Out / Mousse T. involved in new single? May 3, 2006
The Santana concert on July 10th in Montreux, which will feature guest performances by Zucchero, Taj Mahal, Irma Thomas and the Neville Brothers, is sold out. Tickets had been on sale since last week. What Zucchero's part during the concerts will be and if he has recorded anything with Santana is unclear.
Rumours start coming in concerning the new studio album Zucchero is currently working on in the U.S.. One of the people mentioned as being part of the album is German DJ and producer Mousse T. Mousse T. and Zucchero worked together before on "Il Grande Baboomba / Mama get real" for the 2004 ZU & Co album. Nothing official of course. The new album is scheduled to be released in September.
Zucchero at Montreux Jazz Festival with Santana April 27, 2006
Zucchero will be performing at a Carlos Santana concert at this years Montreux Jazz Festival. His performance will take place on July 10th at the Auditorium Stravinsky and will be part of an evening called "My Blues is Deep". Other artists appearing that night are Irma Thomas, Taj Mahal and the Neville Brothers. Tickets are on sale already and probably going fast. It is unclear whether Zucchero will perform any other shows this summer or when the new album will be released.
Baila still on top / (No) Concert in Belgium?/ Corrado Rustici March 22, 2006
In France, Baila is still nr. 1 in the singles, download and ringtone charts, three weeks after it shot to the top of the charts. Baila is being used in the French hit movie Les Bronzes 3. Because of the success of the single, ZU & Co, the 2004 album that featured this version of the song, has re-entered the French album charts at nr 14. Meanwhile, the single is also (back) in the charts in other French speaking territories; in Wallony - Belgium it is currently on nr. 6, in Switzerland at nr. 12 and in Luxembourg at nr. 8. All this thrown together lands Zucchero a nr. 5 position in the Billboard Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.
In other news; a rumour has been going around that Zucchero would give a concert in Luik (Liege), Belgium as one of the activities surrounding the start of this years Giro D'Italia. The concert should have taken place om May 4 in the newly built Country Hall in Luik. However, Belgium paper Le Soir reports that Zucchero will not perform, but who knows...
(Thanks to François for the updates!)
And finally: Corrado Rustici (Zucchero's - former?- producer and guitarist) has updated his website with some new interesting new foto's and videos. On his forum he regulary answers questions on his work.
Zucchero in the charts: Baila nr. 1 in France March 01, 2006
Baila Morena (in the duet version with Maná) is now the nr 1 single in the French charts. The song was included on the soundtrack of the French movie 'Les Bronzés 3' which is topping the box office charts in France. Last week the single was at nr 63 and this week it went up to the 1st place. 10 years ago Zucchero also had a number 1 hit in France with Il Volo. (Thanks to François for all the info!)
Ciampi honours Zucchero/ New album in september February 22, 2006
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi has granted Zucchero the title of "commendatore" for his contribution to the Italian music scene and his success in spreading it throughout the world. Laura Pausini, who recently won a Grammy for her latest album in Spanish and Eros Ramazotti both were rewarded the same title. Andrea Bocelli, who is one of the top selling artists in the world, was granted the title of "Grand'Ufficiale" (which we are told is a lot higher then commendatore but what do we know).
Zucchero has thanked the President for the title, but will not be present during the official ceremony on March 5 in Sanremo (in the middle of the Sanremo Festival). On that day "the State undersecretary to the presidency of the Council of Ministers, Gianni Letta" will present the singers their titles but Zucchero is working on his new album in the United States and will therefore not attend. The album Zucchero is working on is scheduled to be released in September this year.
Zucchero has asked the director of the Sanremo Festival Gianmarco Mazzi to accept the honour in his name. There are some who explain Zucchero's move as a snub to the Berlusconi administration.
No Zucchero at Sanremo February 2, 2006
Zucchero's official website has denied stories that Zucchero will be appearing at this years Sanremo festival (see below). According to the website Zucchero is currently too busy working on his new album (of which the release date is not clear yet, but which is scheduled to come out somewhere this year) and will be busy in the studio and outside of Italy around the Sanremo festival.
Rumour: Zucchero & Fats Domino at Sanremo January 23, 2006
The annual Sanremo music festival will take place in February/March and, like every year, a lot of rumours are going around about a possible appearance by Zucchero. This time the idea is that on the final night of the festival Italian singers like Andrea Bocelli, Eros Ramazotti and Laura Pausini will perform duets with international singers like Michael Buble, Stevie Wonder and Anastacia. In that scenario Zucchero would perform together with legendary singer Fats Domino in a tribute to New Orleans. The performance seems somewhat unlikely since Fats Domino has hardly performed at all int he past years.
New album in 2006 / Il Volo January 17, 2006
A brand new Zucchero studio album will be released somewhere this year. A bunch of different Italian newspapers have, in the past few weeks, mentioned Zucchero in their lists of artists releasing new material somewhere this year. No specifics on release dates or the music that will be on the album are known, but Zucchero has been working on a new album in France in the summer of 2005.
It's a little old actually but recently on the Zucchero forum (forum.zucchero.it) a new version of Il Volo came up. It's a collaboration of Zucchero with Philippe Kelly and Marco Beacco for the cd Akapella 1 & 1, released in february 2005. To listen to a clip from the song check this Amazon france.
End of year lists / Arthur Miles December 28, 2005
In the last weeks of december radiostations throughout Europe broadcast lists of the favorite songs in the history of pop music. Listeners vote, usually from a list of several thousand song titles selected by the station, and the top 1000/20000/40000 or more gets broadcast. Zucchero ended up in several of these charts in the Netherlands and Belgium:
Radio 2 Top 2000 (Netherlands, 5 million listeners every year):
Cosi Celeste 1293 (last year 1483)
Diamante 1250 (new entry)
Senza una Donna 741 (last year 777)
Il Volo 480 (last year 545)
Donna top 2000 (Belgium):
Il Volo 864 (last year 663)
Baila sexy thing 569 (last year 510)
Senza una Donna 366 (last year 869)
Radio 10 Gold 4000 (Netherlands):
Senza una Donna 374
Diamante 2406
Il Volo 3438
And finally, internet radio station KXradio.nl (Netherlands) has a top 10.000:
Diavolo in me 5760
And finally: Arthur Miles, who has worked with Zucchero on many occasions, mostly as a backing vocalist, will perform in San Remo on December 29 on the Piazza Columbo at 17;00 with a Gospel Show.
Zu & Co Ultimate Duets Collection/ Albums 1985-2005/ Christmas Shopping December 7, 2005
The box set edition of ZU & Co, which includes 2 cds and the Royal Albert Hall concert on dvd (for full tracklist see below) has been released throughout Europe. If you have trouble finding the set in normal stores Amazon.de also carries it. In Italy a tv ad for the set is also running which you can see this here.
And if you want to treat yourself to some extra Zucchero stuff this month, visit the official Zucchero fanclub store. They are carrying several special offers, including Zucchero's complete album collection on SACD and a live cd of the Royal Albert Hall concert which is only available online. Also, to celebrate 20 years of making lps and cds, they're selling a special composition signed by Zucchero himself. The set costs 140,00 euro (125 for fanclub members) and only a limited amount have been made. Also, it's rather tacky...
Zu & Co Ultimate Duets Collection November 24, 2005
The box set edition of Zu & Co will be released in Italy and most European countries tomorrow. The collection includes the original Zu & Co cd, a second cd with rare footage and the complete Royal Albert Hall concert on dvd. The tracklist is the following;
CD 1
Dunne Mosse with Miles Davis
Muoio per te with Sting
Indaco dagli occhi del cielo with Vanessa Carlton & Haylie Ecker
Il grande baboomba with Mousse T
Like the sun with Macy Gray & Jeff Beck
Baila morena with Mana
Ali d'oro with John Lee Hooker
Blue with Sheryl Crow
Pure Love with Dolores O'Riordan
A wonderful world with Eric Clapton
Pippo - nasty guy with Tom Jones
Hey man - sing a song with B.B. King
Il volo - the flight with Ronan Keating
Cosi celeste with Cheb Mami
Diavolo in me - a devil in me with Solomon Burke
Senza una donna - without a woman with Paul Young
Il mare... with Brian May
Miserere with Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli
CD 2
Mama with Stevie Ray Vaughan
Diamante with Randy Crawford
I'm in trouble with Tina Arena
Who will the next fool be with Mark Knopfler, Jools Holland, Scotty Moore & D.J. Fontana
Eres mi religion with Mana
Mama get real - remix with Mousse T
Io vivo (in te) - I'm ready with Bryan Adams
Let the good times roll with B.B. King
Un oceano di silenzi with Sergio Mendes
Va, pensiero with Sinead O'Connor
Before you accuse me with Buddy Guy
Un piccolo aiuto with Eric Clapton
DVD
Dune Mosse
Dindondio
Rossa mela della sera
Il grande baboomba with Mousse T
Like the sun with Irene Fornaciari
Everybody's got to learn sometime with Jenny Bae
I'm in trouble with Tina Arena
Baila morena with Fher
Ali d'oro
Senza una donna - without a woman with Paul Young
Pure love with Dolores O'Riordan
Diavolo in me with Solomon Burke
Il volo with Ronan Keating
Cosi celeste with Cheb Mami
Madre dolcissima with Brian May
Il mare... with Brian May
Hey man with Eric Clapton
Wonderful world with Eric Clapton
Miserere with Luciano Pavarotti
Solo una sana....
Shake
Diamante
X colpa di chi?
Hai scelto me
Zu & Co box set; tracklist November 10, 2005
Zucchero's official website has released the tracklist for the ZU & Co boxset, which will be released on November 25. The set includes the original ZU & Co cd, the Royal Albert Hall concert on DVD and a 3d disc with duets that weren't on the original cd.
The tracklist for the 'new' cd is:
Mama with Stevie Ray Vaughn
Diamante with Randy Crawford
Ahum (I'm in trouble) with Tina Arena
Who will the next fool be with Mark Knopfler, Jools Holland and D.J. Fontana & Scotty Moore (both of Elvis' band)
Eres mi religion with Mana
Il grande baboomba (remix version) with Mousse T.
Io Vivo (I'm ready) with Bryan Adams
Let the good times roll with B.B. King
Un oceano di silenzi with Sergio Mendes
Va, Pensiero with Sinead O'Connor
Before you accuse me (live) with Buddy Guy
Un piccolo aiuto (live) with Eric Clapton
The tracklist for the ZU & Co cd and the RAH dvd have not changed (see Discography).
Zu & Co box set November 8, 2005
The Zu & Co box set will most likely be released at the end of November. Several online cd stores (amazon.de, amazon.fr, citydisc.ch) have the set listed for presale and they all have the release date set for November 25. The box set is (one would expect) the last chapter in the ZU & Co cycle and will contain most, if not all, of the duets Zucchero has ever recorded or performed. The set will most likely contain;
- The original ZU & Co. cd that was released in May 2004 and has sold millions of copies throughout the world since. Guests include Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Solomon Burke, Sting and Brian May
- Live at the Royal Albert Hall, the concert Zucchero held to present the CD in London. It is unclear what this disc is going to be; it could be the original DVD, it could be the (incomplete) live CD that is already being sold by the official fanclub online (see discography) or it could be a complete(r) cd of the event. Guests during the show included Eric Clapton, Luciano Pavarotti, Dolores O'Riordan, Cheb Mami, Solomon Burke, Ronan Keating and Brian May.
- A third disc that will include songs that weren't on the original ZU & Co cd. Rumours are it will include "Who will the next fool be" with Mark Knopfler, live tracks with Buddy Guy and B.B. King, "Mama" with Stevie Ray Vaughn and even a song with Paul McCartney.
As soon as we find out more we'll post it here.
And some smaller news; the Live 8 dvds have been released. Zucchero is not featured on the Live 8 box set, but his performances are available on the Rome and Paris dvds. Zucchero performed in both cities. Also, a new cd by Spanish singer Sergio Dalma has been released that has the two of them singing Asi Celeste (the Spanish version of Cosi Celeste) together.
New York Times article; december US (promo)tour/ Live 8 October 24, 2005
The New York Times published an interview with Zucchero yesterday to promote Zucchero & Co. In it, Zucchero announced he's planning on spending December in the U.S. to promote the cd. It's unclear if this is just a promo tour (interviews, radio shows, tv shows) or actual concerts.
The two Live 8 dvd's that will future Zucchero (Rome with Everybody's got to learn sometime, Overdose d'amore, Diavolo in me and Paris with Il Volo and Diavolo in me) have the following covers, and will be released early november.
Prince's trust/ Live 8 dvds October 19, 2005
Last monday Zucchero took part in the Swarowsky Fashion Rocks event in Monte Carlo. The show was a combination of pop/rock music (Jamie Cullum, Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi) and a fashion show. All musicians were linked to a specific designer, in Zucchero's case Roberto Cavelli. The show raised money for The Prince's Trust, Prince Charles' charity organization.
Good news for those who missed Live 8 or who want to relive it; although Zucchero's performances will not be included on the big Live 8 dvd box, the Rome and Paris concerts (during both of which Zucchero performed) will be released seperately. According to EIL.com the tracklist will be the following.
For the Rome dvd:
1. Zucchero - Everybody’s Gotta Learn Some Time
2. Zucchero - Overdose D’amore
3. Zucchero - Diavolo In Me
4. Planet Funk - Ultraviolet Days
5. Planet Funk - Stop Me
6. Negrita – Rotolando Verso Sud
7. Negrita - Cambio
8. Max Pezzali - Come Mai
9. Max Pezzali - Le Dura Legge Del Goal
10. Max Pezzali - Hanno Ucciso L’uomo Ragno
11. Alex Britti - Gelido Sarai ( Edited )
12. Cesare Cremonini – Padremadre
13. Cesare Cremonini - 50 Special
14. Nek - Almeno Stavolta
15. Nek - Si Io Non Avessi Te
16. Nek - Lascia Che Io Sai
17. Piero Pelu - Io Ci Saro
18. Piero Pelu - Bomba Boomerang
19. Piero Pelu – Laciodrom
20. Piero Pelu - Woda Woda
21. Fiorella Mannola - Mio Fratello Che Guarda Il Mondo
22. Povia - I Bambini Fanno Ooh
23. Povia - Fiore Fiore
24. Jovanotti - Mani Liberi
25. Jovanotti - L’ombelico Del Mondo
And for the Paris dvd;
1. We Want Your Voice (intro)
2. Alpha Blondy - Sweet Fanta Diallo
3. Passi - Reviens
4. Faudel - Je Veux Vivre
5. Magic System - Bougez Bougez
6. Muse - Hysteria
7. Muse - Bliss
8. Amel Bent - Ma Philosophie
9. M. Pokora - Elle Me Controle
10. Kyo – Contact
11. Kyo - Qui Je Sais
12. Yannick Noah – La Voix Des Sages
13. Yannick Noah & Disiz La Peste - Metisse
14. Tina Arena - Aller Plus Haut
15. Andrea Bocelli - The Prayer
16. Shakira - Whenever, Wherever
17. Raphael - Caravane
18. Raphael - Ne Partons Pas Fâchés
19. Diam’s - Suzy 2003
20. Craig David - All The Way
21. Axelle Red - J’ai Fait Une Rêve
22. Calogero - Qu’est-Ce Qu’on Faire?
23. Calogero & Passi - Face À La Mer
24. David Hallyday - My Sharona
25. Louis Bertignac - Cendrillon
26. Axelle Red - Supernature + Cerrone On Drums
27. Florent Pagny - Una Nube Blanca
28. Placebo - Bitter End
29. Placebo - Twenty Years
30. Zucchero - Il Volo
31. Zucchero - Il Diavolo In Me
32. The Cure - One Hundred Years
33. Youssou N’dour – New Africa
34. Youssou N’dour - Lima Weese
All Live 8 dvds will be released early November.
ZU & Co box set / Fanclub Meeting October 10, 2005
Due to vacation we've been a bit out of touch, but we're back! With actual news!
Zucchero has said in an interview that the ZU & Co album (his duet compilation that has done incredibly well in Italy, the rest of Europe and most recently even in the United States) will be re-released next month as a box set. It looks like the collection will include the original ZU & Co album, the cd of the London performance (either the fanclub cd with only a few cuts or the entire concert) and an additional third cd with unedited duets with Mark Knopfler (most likely Who will the next fool be), B.B. King (our guess Let the good times roll, which was on King's Deuces Wild album), Sergio Mendes (Oceano di silenzio), Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan (Mama) and even Paul McCartney! No official release date is out, but this sounds very interesting.
Second; Zucchero met his fans during the annual fanclub meeting on october 1st. Like last year there were performances by Zucchero tribute bands, Irene Fornaciari (Zucchero's youngest daughter who will be releasing her debut album soon) and James Thompson. Zucchero himself performed for 2 hours. From what we've heard on the official forum and from the e-mails we've received it sounds like the meeting was, as always, a great party! Thanks to Ruud Voermans (who also send us the great pics below) and Els Wiggers!
HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY ZUCCHERO! September 25, 2005
Today Zucchero is celebrating his 50th birthday. Congratulations from all of us here at Un po'!!!
Live 8 dvd; no Zucchero / Kremlin dvd released in Europe September 7, 2005
Rolling Stone has the tracklist for the dvd box that will be released of the july 2 Live 8 shows. Although Zucchero performed twice during the event (first in Rome, playing Everybody's got to learn sometime, Overdose d'Amore and Diavolo in me, and later in Paris playing Everybody's got to learn sometime, Il Volo and Diavolo in me) no Zucchero performances will be included on the dvds. For the entire tracklist go to www.rollingstone.com.
The Live in the Kremlin dvd (see discography) has been released in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and possibly Germany. The dvd was already out in Italy for a few months, but wasn't available in other countries until now. The dvd includes (part) of a concert Zucchero gave in Moscow in 1990.
Official fanclub 'Raduno' September 5, 2005
Like the last two years Zucchero's official fanclub is organizing a special fan meeting with Zucchero. During this years meetup several Zucchero cover bands will perform, Zucchero's music videos will be shown on big screens and most importantly Zucchero will perform live. The day will also include a reunion of Zucchero with one of his first bands 'Nuove Luci'. The meeting will take place on october 1st (a saturday) in the Vox Club in Nonantola. Only official fanclub members are allowed in, and even those have to let the club know beforehand that they are coming. For more information check www.zucchero.it.
Slow news month August 22, 2005
Not a lot of things happening in Zucchero world (hence the lack of updates). Zucchero & Co is still doing ok in the U.S., after entering the Billboard 200 at 85 it went up to 84 the next week and then left the top 100, the album is still on top of the World albums chart. Zucchero appears to be on vacation but from what we've heard work on the new album is still in a very early stage, so no release date is expected anytime soon. Also, despite rumours of Zucchero doing an early September gig in New York it doesn't look like Zucchero will be doing any concerts this year.
Zucchero & Co enters Billboard 200 at nr. 85 July 21, 2005
Zucchero & Co has entered the Billboard 200 album charts at nr. 85 this week. The cd, a U.S. version of ZU & Co, was released last week by Concord Records in collaboration with Starbucks' Hear Music, meaning it is also being sold (and played!) in over 4.400 Starbucks franchises throughout the United States.
It is the first time that a Zucchero album makes it into the American album charts and one of the few times a European rock/pop album makes it anyway. For more information on the Starbucks factor in the success of Zucchero & Co, Ray Charles' Genius loves company and other albums check this article.
Radio 2 summer concert/ Zucchero & Co July 20, 2005
Dutch radiostation Radio 2 is broadcasting a series of concerts to celebrate summer and yesterday they played songs from a show recorded in the Netherlands in 1990. The songs were most likely recorded in Utrecht and the playlist is the following; Il Mare..., Iruben Me, Diamante, Dunne Mosse, Senza una Donna, Madre Dolcissima, Come il sole all'improvisso, Rispetto. You can relisten the show through this link.
Meanwhile Zucchero & Co, the U.S. version of ZU & Co seems to be selling ok; it's currently at nr. 472 of the Amazon.com sales list.
ZUCCHERO & Co.: "The best music starts with 'Z' " July 13, 2005
Zucchero's official website has put the TV ad that will be shown in the U.S. to promote ZUCCHERO & Co. online, you can check it out here. Also, the L.A. Times published an article on ZUCCHERO & Co. last monday which you can find here.
ZUCCHERO & Co. July 11, 2005
Tomorrow ZUCCHERO & Co., the American version of ZU & Co, will be released by jazz label Concord Records. The album will not only be sold by record stores, but also by coffee chain Starbucks, which will also promote the album by playing it in their stores. The tracklist is a little different from the European version, some of the 'harder' sounding songs have been dropped, and the cover has also been adapted. Below is the tracklist:
I lay down - with John Lee Hooker
Blue - with Sheryl Crow
Pure Love - with Dolores O'Riordan
Baila Morena - with Mana
Dune Mosse - with Miles Davis
Muoio per te - with Sting
Everybody's got to learn sometime - with Vanessa Carlton & Haylie Ecker
Like the sun (from out of nowhere) - with Macy Gray & Jeff Beck
A Wonderful World - with Eric Clapton
Hey Man - with B.B. King
Cosi Celeste - with Cheb Mami
Senza Una Donna (Without a Woman) - with Paul Young
Diavolo in me - with Solomon Burke
Miserere - with Luciano Pavarotti & Andrea Bocelli
A few of the songs are already getting some U.S. airplay (Everybody's got to learn sometime, Blue and Diavolo in me to name a few) and a few U.S. newspapers have already published some articles about the release. If you see or hear any reviews or interviews on the album, please mail us!
For more information on the ZUCCHERO & Co. album please visit our special page by clicking on the banner below.
LIVE 8 July 4, 2005
Zucchero was one of the few artists (for the record; Youssou 'N Dour and Dido did the same thing) to appear at more than one Live 8 concert last saturday, as said below he performed both in Rome and in Paris. The shows (also in London, Philadelphia, Moscow, Berlin, Tokyo, Johannesburg and several other UK locations) were held to raise awareness for the fight against poverty in Africa, and featured a who's who of pop music stars. Approximately 1,5 million people where present at the shows, while over 2 billion (!) people watched or listened to the shows on tv, on the radio, or on internet throughout the world. Over 26 million text messages were send supporting the cause.
Zucchero's Live 8 adventure started in the morning in Paris, where he is currently working on a brand new studio album which is scheduled to be released next year, flying to Italy (with a few delays) to perform at Live 8 Rome. Zucchero was not planning on playing in Italy, but due to a bunch of artists backing out of the project, he was convinced by Bob Geldof and Rome's mayor to perform there after all (which inspired international headlines like "Zucchero sweetens flagging Rome Live 8 concert" (Reuters) and "Zucchero saves Rome's Live 8) (Contactmusic) ). In Rome he played right after U2 and Paul McCartney played "Sgt. Pepper" in London, and sang "Everybody's got to learn sometime", "Overdose (D'Amore)" and "Diavolo in me".
After the Rome gig, Zucchero and band flew back to France to perform again at Versailles (for some reason losing organ player Peter Vitesse on the way). In Paris, Zucchero performed in between Placebo and The Cure and played "Everybody's got to learn sometime", "Il Volo" and a rousing version of "Diavolo in me".
The Live 8 shows will be released on dvd in september or october by EMI, but it is currently not clear what the tracklist will be, and which artists (and songs!) will and will not make the cut. AOL showed the five main concerts online and is planning on cutting the shows up for on demand access to all the songs. For right now however you can look at the different webcasts in a continious loop (as said in Rome Zucchero is appearing early on, right after Francesco De Gregori and the U2/McCartney link-up in London and before Duran Duran, in Paris he is playing late in the evening after Placebo and before The Cure and Youssou 'N Dour) on music.aol.com.
Live 8: Zucchero in Rome AND Paris! June 30, 2005
Zucchero will be pulling a Phil Collins this saturday during Live 8: he will perform BOTH in Rome and in Paris. He was first planning on only playing in Paris but because the Rome part of the Live 8 series is failing to attract much publicity (and Vasco Rossi pulled out) Bob Geldof has asked Zucchero to also play in Rome. So, this saturday Zucchero will fly from Paris to Rome where he will perform around 15:20 then he will fly to Paris where he will perform again at 22:00. Zucchero will be the only artist appearing at more than one show this saturday. He is scheduled to play "Overdose d'amore", "Madre Dolcissima", "Everybody's got to learn sometime" and "Diavolo in me" in Rome and "Everybody's got to learn sometime" and "Il Volo" in Paris. His band will exist of Mario Schiliro on guitar, Adriano Molinari on drums, Matteo Saggese on keyboards, Livingstone Browne on bass and Peter Vitesse on hammond.
Live 8 / New album? June 17, 2005
Zucchero's website has announced that he will NOT be performing in Rome during the Live 8 concert on july 2nd but in Paris. Other artists performing in Paris include Andrea Bocelli, Johnny Hallyday and Craig David. No tickets are needed to attend the Paris concert. The Live 8 shows will be shown on TV networks all over the world and AOL will show most of the shows online.
And after La Repubblica had a quote from Zucchero saying he's totally lost in trying to find a new direction for his album, the official site claims that Zucchero has decided to perform in Paris because "that's where he's working on his new album". Soooo... good news?
Who will the next fool be? / Cosi Celeste lyrics June 16, 2005
It seems like Who will the next fool be, the Charlie Rich song Zucchero recorded with Mark Knopfler (plus Elvis' rythm section and Jools Holland) has been released in the UK. Although not a lot information is available the song has been played several times in Terry Wogan's radio 2 morning show, including last wednesday (you can relisten it online here, just click on Wed and skip ahead a little). The song was recorded in 2000 for a Sun Records tribute album but ended up only on the dvd (see discography). If anyone has any additional info, we'd love it :).
And some more 46664 Arctic stuff: the version of Cosi Celeste played by Zucchero, Brian May and Sharon Corr last saturday was partly in English. The lyrics, written by Brian May, are the following:
Un altro sole, quando viene sera
Sta colorando l'anima mia
Potrebbe essere, di chi spera
Ma nel mio cuore è solo mia!
E mi fa piangere e sospirare
così celeste, she's my baby!
E mi fa ridere, bestemmiare
e brucia il fuoco, she's my baby!
Her kisses cover me, soft as the rain,
Her arms around me, it's spring again
And all around us, are children playing,
A feel of roses, a breeze is swaying
More than an angel, more than a lady,
Cosi Celeste, she's my baby
So I can believe again, so I can breathe again
She's made in heaven, she's my baby
Lei lo fa come avesse sete
And in my dream, she brings me love so tenderly
Cosi Celeste
Yeah, yeah, yeah
E mi fa piangere e sospirare
così celeste, she's my baby
More than an angel, more than a lady
She's made in heaven, she's my baby
Lei mi fa vivere e accende il giorno
così celeste, she's my baby
Now I believe again, now I can breathe again
She's made in heaven, she's my baby
No new album any time soon/ 46664 June 15, 2005
It looks like it might take some time before a new studio album will be released. Zucchero has said in an interview with La Repubblica that he's in "deep crisis" and that after 10 studio albums he finds it difficult to find new stimulations. He feels that he probably needs to lock himself at his home to start writing again but right now he doesn't see the light. He did add that he hoped he would be able to release something new next year.
In the same interview Zucchero said that he has a tough time finding other Italian artists to appear during the 46664 concert in Florence. Although it looks like Annie Lennox and Brian May will appear no Italian artists are in yet. The official Zucchero site, meanwhile, has put a special page online with pictures of the Arctic concert of last saturday. You can check the pictures on this website.
46664 Arctic June 13, 2005
Saturday Zucchero was one of the artists performing in Norway during another 46664 concert. Other artists performing included stars like Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox, Robert Plant, Brian May and Sharon Corr. Nelson Mandela, the man behind the 46664 campaign, was also present in Tromso and gave a speech. During the show Zucchero sang three songs; Everybody's got to learn sometime, Cosi Celeste and Senza Una Donna. The first two were performed with Brian May and Sharon Corr of the Corrs. May then introduced Cosi Celeste as one of his favorite Zucchero songs, and the song was played in an amazing new accoustic version with Brian May singing part of the song in English (with a new translation he made himself, let's hope this thing gets released!). Zucchero is currently planning an Italian 46664 concert in Florence which is scheduled to take place somewhere next year, Sting is also involved. (the picture below comes from Brian May's official website www.brianmay.com)
And for the collectors out there: a Chinese version of ZU & Co has been released with a very interesting cover!
Live 8 / Zucchero & Co U.S. media blitz June 2, 2005
Zucchero will be one of many artists performing during Live 8 on July 2nd. Live 8, like Live Aid and Band Aid a Bob Geldof initiative, will exist of five concerts throughout the world to raise awareness for and campaign against third world poverty. The prime reason for the concerts is to convince the G8 countries to lower the debts of these countries. The concerts will take place in London (with among others U2, Elton John, Keane, Sting and Robbie Williams), Paris (Andrea Bocelli, Jamiroquai, Johnny Hallyday), Philadelphia (Stevie Wonder, Rob Thomas, Maroon 5, Dave Matthews Band), Berlin (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Brian Wilson, A-ha). Zucchero will take part in the 5th show in Rome together with Vasco Rossi, Duran Duran, Nek and Faith Hill. It looks like no tickets are required for the Rome show. The BBC will broadcast the London show live, it's unclear yet if and how the other shows will be shown on TV but AOL will show the shows online. For more info: www.live8live.com
According to a Universal Music sellsheet our good friend Alex from www.zombieguide.com got his hands on Concord Records is definetly going to be trying to sell Zucchero & Co when it will be released next month. According to the sheet, which is sent to retailers to promote new releases, the album will be plugged with TV adds in some of the biggest American cities (NYC, LA, Boston, San Fransisco) during popular shows as Good Morning America and The Today Show and NPR radio will devote a special to the album.
Also, several songs will be sent to radiostations as 'radio singles'; for pop stations "Everybody's got to learn sometime" (with Vanessa Carlton), "Muoio per te" (with Sting) and "Diavolo in me" (with Solomon Burke) have been selected, for jazz stations "Dunne Mosse" (with Miles Davis), blues stations will receive "I lay down" (with John Lee Hooker) and "Hey Man" (with B.B. King) and classical stations will receive Miserere (with Pavarotti and Bocelli).
Other forms of promotion: the album will be available as in-flight audio on United Airlines flights, it will be played in cinemas in july and august including the busy july 4 weekend, it will be played in wineries throughout the country and there will be an internet campaign for several months to attract attention.
Revised Zucchero & Co tracklist May 27, 2005
After the Starbucks news was released yesterday the official Zucchero website has released the tracklist for the US edition. It looks like the tracklist is a little different from what we expected (based upon the listing of the names on the cover):
I lay down - with John Lee Hooker
Blue - with Sheryl Crow
Pure Love - with Dolores O'Riordan
Baila Morena - with Maná
Dunne Mosse - with Miles Davis
Muoio per te (Mad about you) - with Sting
Everybody's got to learn sometime - with Vanessa Carlton and Haylie Ecker
Like the sun (From out of nowhere) - with Macy Gray and Jeff Beck
A Wonderful World - with Eric Clapton
Hey Man - with B.B. King
Cosi Celeste - with Cheb Mami
Senza una Donna - with Paul Young
Devil in me - with Solomon Burke
Miserere - with Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli
Zucchero & Co will be released in the US on July 12th.
You want coffee with that? May 26, 2005
Billboard Magazine, Reuters and the New York Times all report that the American edition of "Zucchero & Co" (which will be released on july 12) will also be sold by Starbucks. This is big news considering that Starbucks played a big role in the success of Ray Charles' "Genius loves company" last year. The coffee company will be selling the cd throughout the US in over 4.000 stores. "Zucchero & CO" is the US version of "ZU & Co" and consists of some of Zucchero's best songs in a duet version. Guests include B.B. King, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Sheryl Crow, Solomon Burke, Dolores O Riordan and Miles Davis.
46664 Arctic /Zucchero & Co May 18, 2005
Zucchero has been confirmed as one of the artists performing during the 46664 Arctic concert in Norway in June. Since 2003 several 46664 (Nelson Mandela's prison number) have been held throughout the world to raise awereness and money in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Zucchero has been one of the artists who has been involved since the beginning, he performed in South-Africa during the first show, in Spain during a more recent concert and is currently planning an Italian 46664 show for next year. Other artists scheduled to appear in Norway include Robert Plant, Brian May, Sharon Corr, Angelique Kidjo and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. For information on tickets please go to www.46664arctic.no
It looks like this will be the tracklist for the American version of Zucchero & Co, which will be released in July:
Blue (& Sheryl Crow)
Muoio per te (& Sting)
A wonderful world (& Eric Clapton)
Like the sun (& Macy Gray & Jeff Beck)
Dunne mosse (& Miles Davis)
Hey man (& B.B. King)
Miserere (& Luciano Pavarotti & Andrea Bocelli)
I lay down (& John Lee Hooker)
Pure love (& Dolores O'Riordan)
Baila morena (& Maná)
Everybody's got to learn sometime (& Vanessa Carlton & Haylie Ecker)
Diavolo in me - devil in me (& Solomon Burke)
Cosi celeste (& Cheb Mami)
Senza una donna - without a woman (& Paul Young)
Zucchero & Co cover May 17, 2005
Zombieguide's Alex found us the cover of the American version of Zucchero & co (which will be released on jazz label Concord Records in july). Although no official tracklist is available yet it looks like some tracks (Pippo with Tom Jones, Il grande baboomba with Mousse T., Il volo with Ronan Keating and Il mare with Brian May) have been axed.
ZU & Co. in the U.S. / IFPI Awards/ Festivalbar 2005 May 11, 2005
ZU & Co., Zucchero's most recent album filled with duets, will finally be released in the US. Although the album had it's European release a year ago and was later also released in Australia, South-America and Canada it was never released in the United States. Surprisingly enough it looks like the album will be marketed as a jazz album, seeing that the label that will release the album is Concord Records (a famous all-jazz label). The album will be released on July 12, there's no tracklist available yet. (Thanks to Alex from Zombieguide!)
On July 12 Zucchero will also perform during the IFPI Platinum Awards. IFPI is an organization honoring European artists for selling more than 1 million copies of their albums, Zucchero so far has received 5 IFPI Platinum Awards. Ronan Keating, who is also represented on ZU & Co, will be hosting the show which will take place in Brussels, Belgium. Norway's Lene Marlin is also scheduled to perform.
On June 4 the first in this years series of Festivalbar concerts will be held in Turin. Zucchero, who won Festivalbar for the first time last year, will be performing during that first evening (as will Laura Pausini, Jamiroquai and Natalia Imbruglia). It's not clear yet if Zucchero will perform a ZU & Co track (and if so which one) or perhaps a new single as a lead in to a new studio album (which seems unlikely, but fingers crossed!)
Radio single / 46664 Madrid / Kremlin dvd May 07, 2005
Not so much Zucchero news happening these days (ergo the lack of updates) but there are some small newsstories:
In Italy a new 'radio single' has been sent out to the main radiostations. The single contains four tracks from the ZU & Co. album and the stations can decide themselves which songs they'll play. The tracks on the single are "Blue" with Sheryl Crow, "A Wonderful World" with Eric Clapton, "Pippo - nasty guy" with Tom Jones and "Ali D'Oro" with John Lee Hooker. The single will not be available in stores. On E-bay not too long ago there was a new Senza una donna single (a remix version that also included a video and "Who will the next fool be" recorded with Mark Knopfler and Elvis' rythm section) but it's not quite clear in which countries that one will be released.
On April 30th Zucchero took part in the Spanish version of 46664. The 46664 concerts were started by Nelson Mandela and are meant to raise money and awareness for the fight against AIDS. In Madrid Zucchero played "Everybody's got to learn sometime", "Senza una Donna", "Asi Celeste (Cosi Celeste)" with Sergio Dalma, "Baila Morena" and "Diavolo in me". According to stories in the Italian press a few months ago Zucchero is currently planning a 46664 concert in Italy for next year. Dates and acts aren't known yet although it is clear that Sting is also involved in the planning of the show.
And finally: the Live at the Kremlin dvd has been released though not in all (European) countries. The dvd can also be bought through Zucchero's official store at store.zucchero.it .
Live at the Kremlin dvd April 20, 2005
Zucchero's official website has put the tracklist for the upcoming release of the dvd Live at the Kremlin on their store website (store.zucchero.it). The dvd will contain 14 songs that Zucchero performed on 8 and 9 december 1990 in the Kremlin in Moscow. During these shows Zucchero had singer Randy Crawford and Toni Childs as guests and performed Imagine, Come il sole all'improvviso (both with Crawford, Come il sole... is not on the dvd) and Many rivers to cross (with Childs) with them. It's unclear if there will be any additional extras on the dvd. This will be the tracklist:
Overdose d'amore
Nice (Nietzsche) che dice
Il mare
Iruben me
Diamante
Con le mani
Diavolo in me
Imagine (with Randy Crawford)
Senza una Donna
Many rivers to cross (with Toni Childs)
Madre Dolcissima
Anytime
Hai scelto me
46664 / Johnnie Johnson April 14, 2005
Zucchero is scheduled to take part in a Spanish version of the 46664 concert series in Madrid. In this specific case three different concerts will be organised on april 29 and 30 and may 1. Zucchero is appearing on the may 1st show. For more information, for instance on ticketsales, please visit http://www.festival46664.wanadoo.es/.
And some sad news: in Los Angeles Johnnie Johnson has passed away, he was 80 years old. Johnson worked as Chuck Berry's pianist for a long time and co-wrote songs like "Johnny B. Goode". Zucchero worked with Johnnie Johnson on the 1995 release Spirito DiVino which was partly recorded in L.A., for that album Johnson played piano and co-wrote the English lyrics to Senza Rimorse - Come in love.
Live at the Kremlin on dvd / 46664 Italy April 4, 2005
Great news while we're waiting for new material to come out: on april 29th Zucchero's Live at the Kremlin concert will be released on dvd with completely remastered sound. In december 1990 Zucchero played two shows in the Kremlin in Moscow which were recorded and released as a double cd and a videotape in 1991. During the show Zucchero and band played mostly Oro incenso e birra and Blue's songs and Randy Crawford and Toni Childs performed with them. A complete tracklist isn't available at this point but on the original vhs not all songs from the cd were present, hopefully the dvd will contain the entire show. The Live at the Kremlin dvd will be the second Zucchero dvd release in only a year, the first of course being the Royal Albert Hall concert last november (see Discography).
In 2006 the next 46664 show will take place in Florence, Italy and Zucchero will be involved. Together with Sting he is one of the 'artistic directors' of the event at which Nelson Mandela, the founder of the 46664 concerts, will also be present. In 2003 the first 46664 show took place in Cape Town and Zucchero performed a couple of songs there, he was also scheduled to appear during the Spanish 46664 show last year but that show was cancelled. Exact time and place aren't available yet.
Asia benefit/ RAH dvd in the US/ Dutch charts/ Night of the proms March 16, 2005
Zucchero's fanclub has confirmed that he will be present at the Asia benefit that will take place in Italy next monday. According to the official website Zucchero will perform two songs; Dune Mosse and Cosi Celeste together with Cheb Mami. Other Italian and international stars like Andrea Bocelli and Elisa will also appear and all proceeds will go to the UNHCR.
The Royal Albert Hall concert will (finally!) be released on dvd in the US. Almost a year after the actual concert (may 6 2004) and months after the release in Europe and Canada it looks as though the dvd will go on sale in the US on april 5th. The dvd includes the entire concert Zucchero gave in London to celebrate the release of ZU & Co. Guests that joined Zucch and his band on stage included Eric Clapton, Brian May, Solomon Burke, Paul Young and The Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan.
Meanwhile in the Netherlands Zucchero & Ilse DeLange are still in the subtop of most charts (though going down a little in most):
Blue (feat. Ilse DeLange):
Mega Top 50: this week 22 (last week 21)
Top 40: 26 (23)
Top 100: 10 (10)
Pepsi Chart: 28 (22)
ZU & Co (Dutch version):
Album Top 100: 18 (19)
ZU & Co live at the RAH:
Dvd top 30: 26 (20)
And finally: we got the following picture from Hannes Reijnen of Zucchero performing during the Night of the Proms in Paris. Thanks Hannes!
Asia benefit (?) / 46664 March 14, 2005
On march 21st (next monday) some of Italy's most famous artists will give a show in Assago to raise money for the Tsunami victims in Asia. Zucchero is scheduled to be present too although the official fanclub hasn't confirmed it yet. Other artists to appear include Andrea Bocelli and Elisa. The show will take place at the Forum di Assago and tickets are €10, all the money raised will go to the UN refugee organisation UNHCR.
Some more charity news; on the 19th (this saturday) the 46664 concert in Fancourt, South Africa will take place. Artists scheduled to appear include Queen & Paul Rodgers, Katie Melua, Annie Lennox and India.Arie. Zucchero isn't officially on the list but he did say in a Dutch interview that he was going to be performing there, so who knows. The show can be seen on the internet live through Tiscali.
SACD's on Amazon.de /Dutch charts March 7, 2005
The SACD (super audio cd) re-releases of most of Zucchero's albums are now available on Amazon.de, although it looks like they're imported from Italy so regular German recordstores will probably not sell them. SACD is a new form of cd's that (should) sound a whole lot better than ordinary cd's. The best effect will be reached on SACD players but the Zucchero re-issues should also work on ordinary cd players with somewhat of the same effect. The albums that have been reissued are Un po' di Zucchero, Zucchero & The Randy Jackson band, Rispetto, Blue's, Oro incenso e birra, Zucchero, Miserere, Spirito DiVino, Bluesugar and Shake. The albums are also available through the official Zucchero store (store.zucchero.it) and fanclub members get a discount.
And Zucchero (& Ilse) are still doing fine in the Dutch charts taking ZU & Co the album and the Royal Albert Hall dvd along;
Blue (feat. Ilse DeLange):
Mega Top 50: this week 21 (last week 28)
Top 40: 23 (24)
Top 100: 10 (11)
Pepsi Chart: 22 (28)
ZU & Co (Dutch version):
Album Top 100: 19 (28)
ZU & Co live at the RAH:
Dvd top 30: 20 (new entry)
