Giorgia - Greatest Hits

The career of this Italian pop star makes a touching foreground story to the accompaniment of a greatest-hits collection; indeed, it is the stuff of a romantic Hollywood biopic. Overflowing with talent like a plate of bruschetta, young Giorgia manages to sing for her idol, Whitney Houston, overwhelming her. From there some show business strings are pulled, although even a pair of much less-shaky hands than Houston's would probably find the task of spreading popular Italian music outside the audience that speaks the language quite daunting. So although unknown in Georgia, Giorgia's gigs are giant from Grosseto to Gioiosa Ionica. This collection hits musical high points, well-chosen by the maestro herself. If the tracks sound better than expected -- although listeners that abhor divas better not take that as an invite to come on in -- some credit can go to background forces that once again can be tracked to Houston. Her drummer and musical director, Mike Baker, is a superb jazzman and one of a number of artists of his ilk who have branched out into pop music. His fingers touch drum machines on some of these tracks, but there is also the old-school presence of real instruments and solid rhythms. Giorgia could move an audience to tears over the backing of a stalling bus engine, so on one level Baker is irrelevant. Looked at as a producer who wisely juggled the ingredients given him -- equal parts kitsch, marinara sauce, vapid '90s pop, and skilled vocalizing -- he most certainly is not. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide