Author(s): Dezzani, Mark
Date of publication: 11/21/98
Billboard magazine, Vol. 110, Issue 47
ANGLO BREAKOUT SEEN FOR POLYDOR'S ZUCCHERO
Dateline: MILAN
A duet with Sinead O'Connor and live U.K. and U.S. dates next year are among the tools Polydor is using to reintroduce Zucchero "Sugar" Fornaciari to Anglo audiences.
Zucchero's new album, "Bluesugar" (Polydor), released here Nov. 5, marks a new direction in the Italian singer/songwriter's music. It's his ninth album in a 15-year recording career, with more than 10 million albums sold worldwide. Zucchero says "Bluesugar" has a more international sound, with British rock influences.
However, in the U.K., Polydor U.K. will concentrate first on releasing a customized version of "The Best Of Zucchero" in March 1999, tying in with several live U.K. dates. A new recording of Zucchero's 1997 Continental hit, a version of Giuseppe Verdi's operatic aria "Va Pensiero," will be released in the U.K. in February as a duet with O'Connor.
"England is a very specific market, which makes it difficult for Continental artists to break there. It's difficult even for American artists," acknowledges Zucchero, adding that he has experienced success there. "Senza Una Donna" (Without A Woman) with Paul Young went to No. 2 on the U.K. singles chart in 1991, while "Miserere," with operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and U2's Bono, charted in the U.K. two years afterward.
George McManus, marketing executive at Polydor U.K., says he is confident that Zucchero can score a hat trick on the U.K. charts on the back of the U.K. tour, the O'Connor duet, and his strong vocal style.
"We will be promoting Zucchero on the fact that he is a major international artist and a very strong live performer," says McManus. "He has a very international style, with strong R&B influences and a fantastic voice. Zucchero is not what the public perceives as a typical Italian artist."
The U.K. best-of package will include a revised version of the Paul Young and Pavarotti duets.
"We are also confident that [national public-service AC network] Radio 2 will pick up on the duet with Sinead O'Connor," says McManus, explaining that changes at Radio 2 in the past few months--making it a more contemporary AC outlet--have created a major new promotional tool for adult-oriented artists, along with the established independent local radio circuit.
Zucchero will also be including U.S. dates in his world tour, which starts Feb. 12, 1999, in Italy, although plans for promotion and releases in the U.S. are still to be fixed. Last year, Zucchero sold out four consecutive nights at House of Blues in Los Angeles.
"It was fantastic to play in a shrine to the blues," Zucchero says. "We were booked for two nights and sold out a further two evenings. There were a lot of Italians in the crowd, but the majority were Americans. On the first night, [actors/Blues Brothers cohorts] Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, and John Goodman introduced me as a soul brother from Italy, complete with the Blues Brothers outfit and dance. And the crowd went crazy."
In the rest of the world, Zucchero has begun promoting the new "Bluesugar" album with showcases, radio, print, and TV promotion in Europe. The world tour, in which Zucchero will play Asia and Australia for the first time, is set to continue through December 1999.
"The new album is different because it's more international than American," Zucchero says. "I used to have a lot of Delta blues, gospel, and Memphis influences. This album is more British in its feel and includes influences from Robert Johnson to Radiohead, passing through Italian melodic song."
Elena Zannoni, international exploitation manager at PolyGram Italy, says that the new direction is a natural progression for Zucchero.
"The album does have a more international feel, which is exactly in tune with contemporary rock sounds, but Zucchero has been mixing Italian melody with '60s rock influences since the beginning of his career," says Zannoni. "Bands like Radiohead and the Verve are heavily influenced by British rock of the '60s and early '70s, and 'Bluesugar' reflects the rougher edge these bands have added to this genre."
The leadoff single, "Blue," a classic Zucchero blues-style ballad, was released to radio Oct. 1 in Italian and English versions; the lyrics to the English version were written by U2's Bono.
Another guest, Steve Winwood, plays Hammond organ on the haunting "Bluesugar" ballad "Arcord."
Zucchero's longstanding producer Corrado Rustici plays electric and acoustic guitars on the album, which mixes slow ballads like "I Tempi Cambieranno" (The Times Will Change), which closes the album, with rockers like "You Make Me Feel Loved," which opens the set and features Mark Feltham on harmonica.
THREE-PRONGED MARKETING
Zannoni says that PolyGram Italy has set a three-stage global marketing strategy for Zucchero.
"Our first target is to maintain his established success in continental Europe, where sales of his last album ["The Best Of Zucchero"] exceeded 3 million sales," says Zannoni. "In Italy, it went 11-times platinum [with sales of 1.1 million]. And in France, where he is marketed like a national artist, the album sold double-platinum. Next February, we will target Spain and Latin America with a Spanish version of the 'Blue' single recorded as a duet with Spanish star Rosana Arbelo."
Adds Zannoni, "Although Zucchero has made a mark in the Hispanic markets, he has still to conquer Spain and Latin America. So we are focusing on those markets separately, with the album set for release in March 1999. Next year, we will also be looking to build on Scandinavia, where the greatest-hits album charted in Sweden and Finland, and then Japan and Asia, where he will be touring for the first time."
Zucchero's management--Henry Padovani, who deals with Europe, and Miles Copeland, who handles the rest of the world--considered delaying the release of "Bluesugar" due to uncertainty over PolyGram's buyout by Universal parent Seagram (Billboard, Oct. 24). However, they went ahead following assurances that the PolyGram team handling the release would stay in place during the crucial release and promotional phases.
Of the changes, Zucchero says, "This is something that is bigger than the artist. I hope that the good people who were so helpful for my career in the past three or four years remain. If the owner changes, it doesn't affect my career.
"Many people think the music business is only numbers, but I can say that behind the numbers there are the people that have to respect you as an artist," he adds. "They need to be convinced. They have to be proud working for you. They have to love your music. For now, everything is going well, and the whole team is still there."