Alessandro Safina, a new name in popera

If you were one of those people who watched the movie Moulin Rouge several times and who played the soundtrack album over and over again, then you must be familiar with the voice of Alessandro Safina. That was not Pavarotti or Carreras or Domingo and not even Bocelli hitting the high notes in Your Song with Ewan McGregor. The tenor is Alessandro Safina and he is one of the newer additions to the realm of popera.

Popera is the term now being used to identify the output of classical singers doing pop melodies. The practice actually goes as far back as Mario Lanza during the early ’50s. That is the reason why The Loveliest Night of the Year and Granada became big sellers everywhere. The current invasion however really started when the live recordings of the three tenors, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti made it to the pop charts.

A short while later it got an even stronger push when Andrea Bocelli, who is much younger than the three tenors, made good with his No Te Partiro in the Romanze album. Then it acquired a young image with the arrival of the then 13-year-old Welsh soprano Charlotte Church and became hip when American baritone Josh Groban became a hot singing idol. And now, here comes Safina.

Like most of the popular tenors, Safina is Italian. He hails from Siena. He is 36 and very handsome in the urbane Latin way. Best of all, he is one of the sweetest, most powerful voices ever heard. Safina was doing opera when he was discovered three years ago by composer and conductor Romano Musumarra and enticed into recording pop tunes. The result of the collaboration is Insieme A Te, which is now getting the big push in the international market.

Safina’s pop debut is hampered by the almost all-Italian line-up of songs and the fact that each cut is a new original work by Musumarra. It is easier to relate to an album when the melodies are familiar and when you can understand the lyrics. Take note that even opera albums do carry English translations. Not this one though. Safina is left to wing it alone on the strength of his vocals, which I must say is truly impressive. The one concession to the pop market among the contents is Aria E Memoria which is titled We’ll be Together in English. The song is featured twice in the album. The first is Safina’s solo in Italian while the other one is a duet with the wonderful sounding Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders.

Another song, the ethereal Luna is also presented twice. Both versions are by Safina and these are in Italian and Spanish. The rest of the selections are Siena, Il Mirto E. La Rosa, Stu Bbene, Saro Con Te, Il Profumo Del Cielo, Insieme A Te (La Via dei Canti) the instrumental cuts Ehyeh and Diva Mea and what must be the most beautiful song in the album, La Sete Di Vivere.

Will Alessandro Safina also make the grade in popera? While success in Europe is almost a given, the answer as to whether he will conquer Asia and America still remains to be seen. But this should not really matter. Safina can always sing opera. He is only starting to mature as a classical singer and the realm of opera is very much in dire need of a handsome leading man.

Nelly leads hit list

Meanwhile, rapper Nelly continues to enjoy a grand time in the hit lists as Billboard Magazine has him several times over in its weekly chart tabulations. Nelly occupies the first and second berths in the Hot 100 singles and ranks second to The Boss Bruce Springsteen in the Top 200 albums.

The singles are Dilemma by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland; Hot in Herre by Nelly; Complicated by Avril Lavigne; Just a Friend 2002 by Mario; I Need a Girl (Part 2) by P. Diddy and Ginuwine featuring Loon, Mario Winans and Timmy Ruggeri; Gansta Lovin’ by Eve featuring Alicia Keys; Down 4 U by Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. featuring Ja Rule, Ashanti, Charli Baltimore and Vita; Just Like a Pill by Pink; Happy by Ashanti; and Nothin’ by N.O.R.E.

The albums are The Rising by Bruce Springsteen; Nellyville by Nelly; The Eminem Show by Eminem; The Fix by Scarface; Now 10 by Various Artists; Thug Holiday by Trick Daddy; [Reanimation] by Linkin Park; Unleashed by Toby Keith; Let Go by Avril Lavigne; and Busted Stuff by the Dave Matthews Band.