Starbucks Pick of the Week: Andrea Bocelli – “Silent Night”

andrea-bocelli-my-christmaAndrea Bocelli’s rich Italian-tenor voice fits beautifully with the intensity of classical music. Since 1994 he has reigned over opera, classical and pop charts. His ability to transcend genres with a voice tailor-made for larger-than-life music is only trumped by the fact that his first occupation was as a lawyer. He lost his sight at the age of 12, but since then he learned several instruments including drums and piano.

That said Bocelli takes on the greatest challenge of his career – holiday music. There’s only so much you can do with “Silent Night.” Some singers try the over-the-top method that doesn’t always work while others sing it so subtly that it puts the listener to sleep. Here Boccelli smartly sings it in Italian giving this standard new life with this interpretation. It is when he switches to the English version where things fall flat. It’s completely unnecessary. Anyone who knows about Christmas knows the lyrics and for Boccelli to switch into English takes the specialness away from this version. Throwing children at the end of it doesn’t help either.

About Donna-Lyn Washington 639 Articles
Donna-lyn Washington has a M.A. in English from Brooklyn College. She is currently teaching at Kingsborough Community College where her love of comics and pop culture play key parts in helping her students move forward in their academic careers. As a senior writer for ReviewFix she has been able to explore a variety of worlds through comics, film and television and has met some interesting writers and artists along the way. Donna-lyn does a weekly podcast reviewing indie comics and has also contributed entries to the 'Encyclopedia of Black Comics,’ the academic anthology ‘Critical Insights: Frank Yerby’ and is the editor for the upcoming book, ‘Conversations With: John Jennings.’

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