While his previous albums, The Italian and Forever Begins Tonight, focused on Italian songbook classics and adaptations of English-language pop songs, romantic balladeer Patrizio Buanne's first release since signing a major-label deal with Warner Records, is a much more conventional affair which recalls the contemporary swing-pop output of Micha...

While his previous albums, The Italian and Forever Begins Tonight, focused on Italian songbook classics and adaptations of English-language pop songs, romantic balladeer Patrizio Buanne's first release since signing a major-label deal with Warner Records, is a much more conventional affair which recalls the contemporary swing-pop output of Michael Buble. Produced by Humberto Gatica (Elton John), the Napoli baritone's self-titled third studio album sees him perform predominantly in English for the first time, a move which has resulted in a slightly more accessible sound but one which has also robbed him of his unique selling point. Renditions of big band classics like Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon" and show-tunes from My Fair Lady ("On The Street Where You Live") and Oklahoma ("I Can't Say No"), are all competently performed, but without his seductive native tongued-delivery, they lack the intrigue, passion and emotion of his previous work. Alongside cover versions of Patsy Cline's "Crazy," Rosemary Clooney's "Mambo Italiano" and Santa Esmeralda's "You're My Everything," there's also a fairly modern offering, Bryan Adams' Don Juan DeMarco theme "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?" and a brand new song, "Why Did You Have To Be," penned by the prolific Diane Warren. But the album only really comes to life when Buanne reverts to his Italian roots, as on the gorgeous duet with Renee Olmstead on an interpretation of Shirley Bassey's "Never Never Never." Patrizio is a valiant attempt at mainstream easy-listening pop, but it fails to offer anything new which will enable him to standout from the plethora of modern crooners on the current music scene. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi