For the Children of Liberia (CD)

In 1998, Luciano Pavarotti and "Friends" put on a gala concert in his hometown of Modena, Italy, to benefit orphans of the war-ravaged nation of Liberia. The resulting CD presents an international cast of pop stars joining Pavarotti in a series of high-octane duets and ensembles. It is all good fun and if, at times, a little campy, it is equally often quite exhilarating to hear all that energy flowing on-stage and through the house. It's interesting to hear American singers like Vanessa Williams and Stevie Wonder get into some European-style pop numbers, which have a heightened, almost operatic sense of melodrama. Rather than revealing an opera star out of his element, Pavarotti and his Friends show that there is common ground between them after all., Rovi