Nightbeat: Zucchero
Author(s): Mike Weatherford
Date of publication: 10/01/1999
Las Vegas Review
NIGHT BEAT: ZUCCHERO WORKED WITH SOME BIG NAMES IN MUSIC
If people in the United States know Italian pop star Zucchero at all, it's probably for the company he keeps. Sting, Bono, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, Luciano Pavarotti and Las Vegas' own B.B. King are among those who have collaborated with Zucchero onstage or in the studio.
Though he's an arena attraction in Europe, Zucchero says he doesn't mind playing smaller venues on an American tour that begins today at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The tour includes a Giants Stadium performance in New Jersey for the NetAid benefit concert Oct. 9.
"You start almost from zero, from the beginning," he acknowledges. "It's something that is a challenge for me (but) it's something I want to try. Also, I like to play in a small place sometimes because it's something new and different for me."
"It's exciting," he adds, because "I like to meet people who don't know what I have to offer." And people can meet him without fancy lighting or a big production -- "just the real music."
Zucchero started more as a blues singer -- his husky voice resembles Joe Cocker. But he has evolved into a more eclectic pop style in the vein of his buddy Sting. Tuesday saw the release of "Overdose d'Amore," a collection of Zucchero's ballads meant to introduce him to American ears. Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli -- who Zucchero discovered -- gravitate toward his songs because they have romantic Italian melody, "but the sound is more soul and gospel and sometimes blues. I think this is something the Americans could like."
His circle of celebrity friends began with Clapton, who caught a show and made him the opening act for a European tour. That led to record distribution outside Italy, which caught the attention of Paul Young. Their 1991 remake of his song "Senza Una Donna" became a hit European single, "Sense of a Woman."
That caught the ears of Pavarotti, who challenged him to "write a song that is good for my voice and your voice together." The result was "Miserere," with English lyrics by Bono, included on the new compilation. A call from King at a New York hotel resulted in a 1 a.m. recording session for "Let the Good Times Roll," which they completed in two hours for a King duets album.
Zucchero hopes he can follow the path of Latin acts such as Mana -- which played an arena concert here Wednesday -- who draw crowds stateside without singing in English. "Everybody says Italian is a different sound, a new sound. In English, there would be other people doing that. With my lyrics, many people don't understand (the words), but they can catch the feeling and the mood."