Laura Pausini Albums (18)
What The Critics Say
As its title suggests, Primavera Anticipada, Laura Pausini's first album of new material in four years, is a new chapter in the Italian singer's storied career. For the first time in her career, she had a hand in writing every song on the album (with the exception of "Antes de Irte," which was penned by one of her Italian contemporaries, Gianluca Grignani), and though as usual Alfredo Rapetti (aka Cheope) is credited as her co-writer throughout Primavera Anticipada, the songs indeed reflect aspects of her personal life. For instance, the lead single, "En Cambio No," is informed by the loss of her grandmother, while other songs reflect upon her relationship with guitarist/producer Paola Carta, who also had a large hand in the creation of Primavera Anticipada. Yet while the album marks a step forward in Pausini's career, showcasing a more personalized cycle of songs, in terms of music and style it's highly reminiscent of her past two albums, Escucha (2004) and Yo Canto (2006). Considering Pausini's ever-growing international celebrity, this shouldn't be too surprising; after all, those past two albums were awarded Latin Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album by a Female Artist in 2005 and 2007 respectively, not to mention other accolades. In terms of music, Primavera Anticipada sounds a lot like Yo Canto. Granted, that album had been a wide-ranging collection of cover songs, so there's little in common between the albums lyrically or stylistically, but the majority of both albums was helmed musically by Paola Carta and Daniel Vuletic. On the other hand, Primavera Anticipada sounds a lot like Escucha in terms of style. Both albums soar early on, kicking off with rock songs ("Mi Perspectiva" on Escucha; "Alzando Nuestros Brazos" on "Primavera Anticipada") before moving on to power ballads ("Víveme"; "En Cambio No") and the title tracks ("Escucha Atento"; "Primavera Anticipada"). The stylistic similarity between Escucha and Primavera Anticipada is striking, resulting in a pleasant sense of déjà vu for anyone hoping for more the of the same (and, conversely, a sense of frustration for anyone hoping for a change in direction). Also like Escucha, which front-loaded its standout tracks (each of its four singles sequenced within the first half of the album), Primavera Anticipada peaks early and grows a little dull toward its close. It's an impressive album nonetheless, formulaic as it may be (and as canned as the James Blunt duet may be -- though thankfully there's an alternate version sans the British singer/songwriter, who sings in English). Pausini herself shines throughout the album, her voice as strong as ever, which should no doubt please her fans, as should her larger hand in the songwriting process. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As its title suggests, Primavera in Anticipo, Laura Pausini's first album of new material in four years, is a new chapter in the Italian singer's storied career. For the first time in her career, she had a hand in writing every song on the album (with the exception of "Prima che Esci," which was penned by one of her Italian contemporaries, Gianluca Grignani), and though as usual Alfredo Rapetti (aka Cheope) is credited as her co-writer throughout Primavera in Anticipo, the songs indeed reflect aspects of her personal life. For instance, the lead single, "Invece No," is informed by the loss of her grandmother, while other songs reflect upon her relationship with guitarist/producer Paolo Carta, who also had a large hand in the creation of Primavera in Anticipo. Yet while the album marks a step forward in Pausini's career, showcasing a more personalized cycle of songs, in terms of music and style it's highly reminiscent of her past two albums, Resta in Ascolto (2004) and Io Canto (2006). Considering Pausini's ever-growing international celebrity, this shouldn't be too surprising; after all, those past two albums were awarded Latin Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album by a Female Artist in 2005 and 2007 respectively, not to mention other accolades. In terms of music, Primavera in Anticipo sounds a lot like Io Canto. Granted, that album had been a wide-ranging collection of cover songs, so there's little in common between the albums lyrically or stylistically, but the majority of both albums was helmed musically by Paolo Carta and Daniel Vuletic. On the other hand, Primavera in Anticipo sounds a lot like Resta in Ascolto in terms of style. Both albums soar early on, kicking off with rock songs ("La Prospettiva di Me" on Resta in Ascolto; "Mille Braccia" on Primavera in Anticipo) before moving on to power ballads ("Vivimi"; "Invece No") and the title tracks ("Resta in Ascolto"; "Primavera in Anticipo"). The stylistic similarity between Resta in Ascolto and Primavera in Anticipo is striking, resulting in a pleasant sense of déjà vu for anyone hoping for more the same (and, conversely, a sense of frustration for anyone hoping for a change in direction). Also like Resta in Ascolto, which front-loaded its standout tracks (each of its four singles sequenced within the first half of the album), Primavera in Anticipo peaks early and grows a little dull toward its close. It's an impressive album nonetheless, formulaic as it may be (and as canned as the James Blunt duet may be -- though thankfully there's an alternate version sans the British singer/songwriter, who sings in English). Pausini herself shines throughout the album, her voice as strong as ever, which should no doubt please her fans, as should her larger hand in the songwriting process. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Live in San Siro'
Release Date 12/18/2007
Tracks 15
Label Warner Music Latina
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Laura Pausini's historic performance at Stadio San Siro in Milan, Italy, on June 2, 2007, was filmed for official release later in the year as Live in San Siro. Her second in-concert release in two years, preceded by Live in Paris 05 (2005), the CD/DVD is jam-packed with songs from throughout her career. While the two-hour-plus DVD includes 22 different tracks, six of these are medleys, adding up to 36 songs overall. (The audio-only version of the concert is shorter, jamming 27 songs onto a 80-minute CD.) The concert performance showcases Pausini's two most recent albums, Resta in Ascolto (2004) and Io Canto (2006), and includes a few surprises, most notably a multilingual medley of "Vivimi," a medley of "Y Mi Banda Toca el Rock," and Madonna's "La Isla Bonita," and a duet with Tiziano Ferro on "Non Me Lo So Spiegare." While the half-dozen medleys keep the show moving along at a brisk pace and help her jam as many of her hits into the set list as possible, it's sometimes frustrating to hear one of your favorite songs truncated for the sake of expediency. The same goes for her linguistic acrobatics. As impressive as it is to hear her switch between languages at ease during "Vivimi," it's frustrating to hear one of her all-time best songs adulterated. Moreover, the video cuts nauseatingly from shot to shot every 15 seconds, never focusing on any particular image (say, the featured singer!) for more than a fleeting moment -- from a bird's-eye view of the stadium, to the fans, to a long shot of the stage, to a close-up of Pausini, to a panoramic view of the band, to another long shot of the stadium that emphasizes the ongoing rainstorm, and so on. Then again, the storm does inject a complicating variable into the performance that can't be appreciated in the audio-only version, as Pausini and her band carry on with their open-air stadium performance in spite of the steady rainfall (whereas many of the fans are armed with umbrellas). Despite some of these frustrations, there's plenty to enjoy on Live in San Siro, above all the performance of Pausini herself, who rises to the occasion and seems unconcerned with the rain, never losing her composure, even as she races through medley after medley. Relative to her other in-concert releases, which include the aforementioned CD/DVD Live in Paris 05 (a more intimate performance indoors from the Resta in Ascolto tour) as well as the DVD-only Live 2001-2002 World Tour (2003), Live in San Siro is her least essential. Yet devoted fans will want it nonetheless, not only because of the career-spanning performance but also because of the excellent sound quality and because of its historic nature. Pausini was the first female solo artist to perform a sold-out concert at the world-famous soccer stadium, drawing over 70,000 fans for one memorable night. [ The audio-only version of the concert is shorter, with 27 songs on an 80-minute CD.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Laura Pausini's historic performance at Stadio San Siro in Milan, Italy, on June 2, 2007, was filmed for official release later in the year as San Siro 2007. Her second in-concert release in two years, preceded by Live in Paris 05 (2005), the CD/DVD is jam-packed with songs from throughout her career. While the two-hour-plus DVD includes 22 different tracks, six of these are medleys, adding up to 36 songs overall. (The audio-only version of the concert is shorter, jamming 27 songs onto a 80-minute CD.) The concert performance showcases Pausini's two most recent albums, Resta in Ascolto (2004) and Io Canto (2006), and includes a few surprises, most notably a multilingual medley of "Vivimi," a medley of "Y Mi Banda Toca el Rock," and Madonna's "La Isla Bonita," and a duet with Tiziano Ferro on "Non Me Lo So Spiegare." While the half-dozen medleys keep the show moving along at a brisk pace and help her jam as many of her hits into the set list as possible, it's sometimes frustrating to hear one of your favorite songs truncated for the sake of expediency. The same goes for her linguistic acrobatics. As impressive as it is to hear her switch between languages at ease during "Vivimi," it's frustrating to hear one of her all-time best songs adulterated. Moreover, the video cuts nauseatingly from shot to shot every 15 seconds, never focusing on any particular image (say, the featured singer!) for more than a fleeting moment -- from a bird's-eye view of the stadium, to the fans, to a long shot of the stage, to a close-up of Pausini, to a panoramic view of the band, to another long shot of the stadium that emphasizes the ongoing rainstorm, and so on. Then again, the storm does inject a complicating variable into the performance that can't be appreciated in the audio-only version, as Pausini and her band carry on with their open-air stadium performance in spite of the steady rainfall (whereas many of the fans are armed with umbrellas). Despite some of these frustrations, there's plenty to enjoy on San Siro 2007, above all the performance of Pausini herself, who rises to the occasion and seems unconcerned with the rain, never losing her composure, even as she races through medley after medley. Relative to her other in-concert releases, which include the aforementioned CD/DVD Live in Paris 05 (a more intimate performance indoors from the Resta in Ascolto tour) as well as the DVD-only Live 2001-2002 World Tour (2003), San Siro 2007 is her least essential. Yet devoted fans will want it nonetheless, not only because of the career-spanning performance but also because of the excellent sound quality and because of its historic nature. Pausini was the first female solo artist to perform a sold-out concert at the world-famous soccer stadium, drawing over 70,000 fans for one memorable night. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Yo Canto'
Release Date 11/10/2006
Tracks 16
Label Warner Music Italia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Laura Pausini, a multilingual Italian pop singer who won a Latin Grammy in 2005 for Best Female Pop Vocal Album, decided to record an album of cover songs when she returned to the studio to record her follow-up effort. This is a fairly standard practice for pop/rock artists, of course, especially in the wake of a mammoth success like the one Pausini experienced with Resta in Ascolto (released concurrently in Spanish as Escucha in the Americas). Yo Canto (likewise released concurrently in Spanish) is a somewhat unusual covers album, however, for it's comprised of Italian pop/rock songs from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s -- few, if any, of which will be familiar to listeners across the Atlantic. Pausini performs the songs in a manner similar to that of Resta in Ascolto: the songs are heavily produced, layered with guitar, bass, and drums in addition to strings and synthesizers, and the performances are quite dramatic, often soaring to intense heights during the choruses, complemented by lyrics that are moody and poetic. Consequently, anyone who enjoyed Resta in Ascolto will find much to savor on Yo Canto, as the two albums sound similar musically. The difference is the songwriting, which is wonderfully varied, in terms of lyrics as well as arrangements, resulting in one of the most interesting albums of Pausini's career to date. Yo Canto is interesting not only because of the array of songwriting showcased throughout, but also because of how personal these songs are to Pausini. She expresses this herself in her liner notes: "Recording an album of covers, and therefore having to choose among the songs which have been with me, are with me, and will be with me every day of my life, was no easy task. It would take ten albums like this one just to be able to touch on the essence of all the music I love. Decisions had to be made. And decisions were made. And so here is the music I listen to when I'm at my saddest, or when I feel a moment is special, the songs I used to sing as a young girl when I first started performing, and above all those which taught me to love music, and how music can move you so deeply, regardless of its genre or style." A lot of the songs on Yo Canto are indeed deeply moving, beginning with the surging title track, which opens the album powerfully, as if sung from a mountaintop with arms outstretched. And so begins the second dazzling album in a row by Pausini, who seems to have found a comfortable place for herself musically in the wake of the indifference shown to her English-language crossover bid in 2002. That disappointing album's title was From the Inside, but this album feels ten times more heartfelt, as these covers reveal aspects of Pausini's personality generally eclipsed by the towering melodrama of the usual material bestowed upon an international mega-star of her stature. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Io Canto'
Release Date 11/10/2006
Tracks 16
Label Warner Music Italia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Laura Pausini, a multilingual Italian pop singer who won a Latin Grammy in 2005 for Best Female Pop Vocal Album, decided to record an album of cover songs when she returned to the studio to record her followup effort. This is a fairly standard practice for pop/rock artists, of course, especially in the wake of a mammoth success like the one Pausini experienced with Resta in Ascolto (released concurrently in Spanish as Escucha in the U.S.). Io Canto (likewise released concurrently in Spanish, as Yo Canto) is a somewhat unusual covers album, however, for it's comprised of Italian pop/rock songs from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s -- few, if any, of which will be familiar to listeners across the Atlantic. Pausini performs the songs in a manner similar to that of Resta in Ascolto: the songs are heavily produced, layered with guitar, bass, and drums in addition to strings and synthesizers, and the performances are quite dramatic, often soaring to intense heights during the choruses, complemented by lyrics that are moody and poetic. Consequently, anyone who enjoyed Resta in Ascolto will find much to savor on Io Canto, as the two albums sound similar musically. The difference is in the songwriting, which is wonderfully varied, in terms of lyrics as well as arrangements, resulting in one of the most interesting albums of Pausini's career to date. Io Canto is interesting not only because of the array of songwriting showcased throughout, but also because of how personal these songs are to Pausini. She expresses this herself in her liner notes: "Recording an album of covers, and therefore having to choose among the songs which have been with me, are with me, and will be with me every day of my life, was no easy task. It would take ten albums like this one just to be able to touch on the essence of all the music I love. Decisions had to be made. And decisions were made. And so here is the music I listen to when I'm at my saddest, or when I feel a moment is special, the songs I used to sing as a young girl when I first started performing, and above all those which taught me to love music, and how music can move you so deeply, regardless of its genre or style." A lot of the songs on Io Canto are indeed deeply moving, beginning with the surging title track, which opens the album powerfully, as if sung from a mountaintop with arms outstretched. And so begins the second dazzling album in a row by Pausini, who seems to have found a comfortable place for herself musically in the wake of the indifference shown to her English-language crossover bid in 2002. That disappointing album's title was From the Inside, but this album feels ten times more heartfelt, as these covers reveal aspects of Pausini's personality generally eclipsed by the towering melodrama of the usual material bestowed upon an international mega-star of her stature. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'La Mia Risposta'
Release Date 10/4/2005
Tracks 7
Label WEA International
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Le Cose Che Vivi-Italiano'
Release Date 10/22/2004
Tracks 15
Label CGD East West S.R.L.
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Escucha'
Release Date 10/22/2004
Tracks 11
Label Warner Music Italia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
No stranger to success, Europop sensation Laura Pausini sold over 25 million albums in her first decade or so of recording, quite a feat for someone who was just turning 30 years old and had never broken into the lucrative English-language market. Yet she essentially struck out when she did try to cross over to that English-language market in 2002 with From the Inside. Put mildly, the album bombed stateside. Its qualities (and the qualities of stateside consumers) aside, it was the first full-fledged failure Pausini had experienced in a career of multi-million-selling albums and sold-out world tours. Here was someone who had sung for Pope John Paul II at Christmas and for Barbra Streisand at a birthday party, yet she couldn't sing for ordinary Americans, who just weren't interested in her melodramatic schmaltz. And so Pausini took a sizable break, perhaps the first of her whirlwind, world-conquering career. When she did finally emerge from her self-imposed silence, she returned with Escucha, her first Spanish-language album in four long years (not counting her best-of collection in 2001). (The album was also released in an Italian-language version, Resta in Ascolto.) Expectations were high, obviously, for she'd been gone for what felt like an eon in music years, and they were also high because of the dissatisfaction her Romance-language audience felt with her after the English-only From the Inside and its resulting mixed reception internationally. All of the tension seems to have seeped into the music of Escucha, because this is probably the most intense Pausini album to date. Sure, Europop is by nature dramatic in tone, brassy in approach, melodramatic in mood, and bombastic in practice. But man, Pausini really takes that approach to its fullest extent here, for a great many of these songs feel like "power" ballads, with their soft-hard dynamics, soaring choruses, and emotive outpourings. The album's stellar standout single, "Víveme," is the prototype. As its chorus approaches, it builds in tension, only to explode in a burst of strings and voice worthy of a solar eclipse. "Escucha Atento," also a single, is another good example, with its outright rocking chorus (perfectly embodied by its video, which has Pausini emoting the chorus from a mountaintop -- with a setting sun behind her, no less!). And so the album goes, with the earlier-sequenced songs packing most of the punch. That's not really a figure of speech, either -- this album really does pack a punch, especially in terms of Europop. Escucha is a forceful return for Pausini, and it bodes well for her continued success. From the Inside notwithstanding, she's made a great career out of precious and passionate indulgence, topped off with her fragile beauty and Italian-Spanish accordance. Few, if any, have done it better, and for that reason, it's great to hear her regain her footing and deliver a purposeful album that just oozes everything poetic about Europop. Nope, nothing schmaltzy here -- nada. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
