Chris Botti: Italia

1. Deborah's Theme 2. Italia 3. Venice 4. The Very Thought Of You 5. Gabriel's Oboe 6. I've Grown Accustomes To Her Face 7. Caruso 8. The Way You Look Tonight 9. It Never Entered My Mind 10. Ave Maria 11. Estate 12. Nessum Dorma

If Dean Martin had lived to hear Chris Botti's spin on "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," the song he recorded with characteristic suavity in 1957, crooning might have given way to swooning--like the other 11 tracks on Italia, Botti's tribute to Italy, it's long on lushness and suffused with the genre-busting sweep that's made the trumpeter a household name. Botti's interpretative gift, as displayed on earlier discs such as 2004's When I Fall in Love, is a life-giving thing: What once was charming becomes captivating, and what once was standard becomes respectfully rebuilt for inter-generational appreciation. Italia casts its spell over compositions that yield to him especially well--"Deborah's Theme" from "Once Upon a Time in America" and "Gabriel's Oboe" from "The Mission" get new richness, and "Ave Maria" melts the heart anew. The Paula Cole turn on "The Very Thought of You" scores for its understated vocal, but the newly composed title track, with Andrea Bocelli, may be the album's most gripping; it's a double dose of sophistication shot up with vision and grace. -Tammy La Gorce --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Price: $18.98