A Season of Gifts - Giada Valenti's New CD

Ciao a tutti,

This Season I have been receiving many gifts as I hope and trust you all have, from joy and love to whatever your heart desires.

Besides the joy, friendship and love that I cherish most, I have been receiving gifts in the mail that include so beautiful music CDs. Two in particular I want to note on my blog, since they are both very good, they are both friends and hey, they are both Italian-American.

Actually, the subject of this post is Giada Valenti who is Italian-Italian from Italy-Italy.

I have come to know Giada and her husband JJ over the past couple years and she has proven to be as sweet as she looks, not to mention the sweetness of her voice.

Her press release says it so well, I will let it speak for itself in reagrd to the release of this, her latest CD, "And I Love You So."

"Giada Valenti's sound is a contemporary blend of adult pop with jazz influences - imagine a female version of Michael Buble with a taste of Italia. Recognized for her special voice and great stage presence, Giada is often compared to Peggy Lee, Diana Krall, Connie Francis, and Norah Jones. In Italy, they say she sounds like Mina and Ornella Vanoni.

Although Giada is an accomplished songwriter, she decided to record the works of other great composers for 'And I Love You So.' 'The songs I chose are so close to my heart that I almost feel like they are my own,' she said. 'These songs are timeless, and so are love, music, and romance,' said Giada. 'Ihope my CD can be the soundtrack to good times in the lives of others.'

The album begins with a sweet rendition of 'And I Love You So," a song penned by Don Mclean and made famous by Perry Como, which is followed by the passionate 'Io Che Non Vivo Senza Te,' and Italian classic that has also been performed by the likes of Dusty Springfield, Elvis Presely, and Smokey Robinson.

Valenti, who ws born in Italy and now splits her time between New York and Venice, goes south of the border with 'It's Impossible (Somos Novios)' - a song written by the premier Mexican bolero composer Armando Manzanero. 'My grandparents often played this song in my house, and I always loved it,' recalls Giada. 'Singing this song brings back so many memories of them.'

Brazil also factors into the mix of Valenti's new release 'La Voglia, La Pazzia' was written by the singer/guitarist Toquinho and the poet Vinicius de Moraes, seminal figures in contemporary Brazilian music. Valenti also sings 'Estate,' a beautiful, intense, and poignant song often associated with Joao Gilberto.

Giada turns her attentions to a song written by the great maestro Ennio Morricone, as she sings 'Se,' the love theme from the beloved film 'Cinema Paradiso.' 'The melody is a true work of art; the theme is so romantic,' Valenti said. 'It's so true: how can you explain how much you love someone else? We can try but it's almost impossible. Words are not enough.'

''La Vie En Rose' is the song that made me a singer, ' shares Giada. The great Edith Piaf remains one of her musical idols, and giada is a master interpreter of her works. Valenti features the music of Edith Piaf in her stage show, 'Celebration of the European Divas.' Other songs included on the CD include 'Tell Him I love Him (Dicitencello Vuje),' 'Grande, Grande, Grande,' 'Io Che Amo Solo Te,' and 'I Have But One Heart (Marinariello)' - a song that Giada calls 'so simple and so sweet and yet so beautiful and engaging.'

Giada Valenti dedicates 'And I Love You So' to two great Italian-American heroes, two brothers who died on 9-11 trying to save the lives of others: Firefighter John T Vigiano and Detective Joseph V. Vigiano."

Giada's CD is available on CD and online. Visit giadavalenti.com or myspace.com/giadavalenti

And I hope your Christmas stocking includes this CD for your listening pleasure throughout the winter.

Filippo

P.S. I found this video of Giada on Youtube.com singing "La Vie En Rose," I thought you would enjoy it. (French)