Ingenious
Irishgal | Arizona, USA | 01/24/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When most singers release live albums, it is simply a recording of one or two nights on stage - a drop in the proverbial bucket of touring. Rather than submit to this format (which she used on her previous three concert DVDs), Italian pop superstar Laura Pausini tried something new: she taped nearly every show she performed and released a song or two from each location. Instead of capturing one moment in time, she managed to present several moments from her most recent Primavera in Anticipo World Tour.
"Laura Live World Tour 09" is the result of this ingenious plan. Like most of Pausini's other live releases, it comes as both a CD and a DVD, though the tracklists are quite different. Whether you get the Spanish or Italian version, the DVD consists of songs performed in both languages, though the majority of this one is, appropriately, in Italian. Opening with 'Invece No' live from around the world, each track is introduced by its location and then a delightful performance. The actual filming is quite nice, with effects to make the music more powerful and a brilliant capturing of the essence of the venue. And the music is a good collection of Pausini's many hits - every single one of her albums is represented in some form at the show.
Then there are the extras - and Laura Pausini has certainly not skimped on these! Her four most recent music videos are here ('Un Fatto Ovvio', 'Con La Musica Alla Radio', 'Non Sono Lei', and 'Casomai'), along with two making of the video featurettes ('Con La Musica Alla Radio' and 'Non Sono Lei'). There's also a behind-the-scenes look at the tour, as well as several rare tracks that were performed at different stops. 'E Poi', a song by Giorgia, was sung at Pausini's Rome stop where the other Italian star was in attendance; 'Paris au Mois d'Aout' is a duet with her father, Fabrizio Pausini; 'Napule E' was performed in Naples; 'Vitti Na Crozza', a traditional Sicilian tune, was sung in Palermo; and 'Heal the World', a tribute to Michael Jackson, was done in many cities. And, like the concert, it all is subtitled in English, Spanish, and Italian.
The CD is slightly different. Since this is the Italian version of the set, the CD is entirely in that language, so some of the versions are different from those on the DVD version. In addition, the tracklist is different. While they weren't featured on the DVD, mega-hits like 'La Solitudine' and 'Resta in Ascolto' are in fact on the CD. I'm not quite sure why the two differ so much, other than the fact that Pausini may have wanted to simply include more music than there was room for.
There have been some questions posted about whether this set is in NTSC/Region 1/Region 0 format or PAL/Region 2 format. Since I have a region-free DVD player, I can't answer that. I can, however, give those of you interested a bit of a warning: the disc took nearly two months to arrive. Despite the fact that Amazon has consistently presented this item as if it is in stock, that has not actually been the case. Mine was pre-ordered back in early November and Amazon was unable to locate a copy until January 15. For me it was well worth the wait, but some of you may find it annoying.
Overall, despite the mix of languages on the "Italian" edition and a different CD/DVD tracklist, I absolutely love "Laura Live". Pausini is truly an extraordinary performer, and as she is still virtually unknown here in the majority of the US, this has been my only chance to see her "live". And since she has announced a two-year break from touring, it will tide me over until her next release."
Concert album of the century
N. Buscemi | USA | 01/05/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Few people in the U.S. know Laura Pausini. That's a true loss. She is incredibly famous in Italy, as well as, the rest of Europe, and the Latin countries of South America. In fact, Laura just won the Latin Grammy for 2009 for Best Female album (Spanish), and consider this - her native language is Italian! Truly, an amazing talent.
The World Tour album contains a CD and concert DVD that is amazingly produced. The DVD never bores you because the producer cuts in her music videos into the live concert, along with very cool graphics. I live in the U.S. and the DVD (Italian version) played beautifully on my blue-ray with plasma t.v. Thi is the region 2 selection. There is also a non-region version also sold on Amazon which I purchased. Perfect clearity and sound.
I felt I was "there" at times. The sound is crisp and clear. I found no faults whatsoever in the entire DVD. The CD is the concert version of the DVD. My only complaint is simply that they did not include a "digital" copy of the DVD to place on my Ipod. So, I can only hear the concert.
Laura's personality comes through in each and every song and you can see she "feels" the words and music - whose lyrics are passionate and deeply moving. Most of her songs are soft, love songs...but she has a few that rock. The best known English song is "Surrender" which is much better performed during her 2005 Live Paris concert.
Overall, this is a 5-star album/CD/DVD. Well worth the retail asking price.
"
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1
