Though he's penned hits for international pop stars like Adriano Centelano and Patty Pravo, the Italian-born singer/composer/pianist/lyricist Paolo Conte has been one of the world's most successful and idiosyncratic multilingual artists since 1974. His gruff and gravel-like voice is a soulful and sardonic synthesis of Louis Armstrong's down-home delivery and Tom Wait's quirky inflections, whether he's singing in his native Italian, French or English. Of the more than 20 albums he's recorded as a leader, his best include Appunti Di Vaggio, Un Gelato Al Limon, and 900. His new CD is a collection of new versions of his classic tracks from his vast catalog, and his liberal mixing of stylistic genres give him a passport to a number of musical ports-of-call. Backed by a rhythm section augmented by French horn, accordion, saxophone and trombone, Conte spins new melodic webs on the moody, midtempo title track, the tango-tinged "L'Avance," the subtropical swing of "Sudamerica," the colorful Cuban rumba on "Dancing," and the elegant Parisian chanson"Parigi." They highlight Conte's fluid and formidable musical esperanto. It doesn't matter what tongue he's singing in: his pathos easily translates into a universal language that goes straight to the heart. --Eugene Holley, Jr.