Dancing

Album Review

Elisa is a star in Italy, where her previous albums have sold in huge numbers, and Dancing is her U.S. debut. She certainly has a fine voice, a slightly dark and unusually timbered one that is perfectly suited to her big, emotional songs of longing and romantic wonder. Although the songs on Dancing can often seem rather shapeless with plodding tempos, they are pretty enough and nicely produced. "Broken" injects a little bit of energy into the proceedings along with a nice rhythmic changeup, and on "Life Goes On" she succeeds in morphing into an understated loveliness that works very well. With better material Elisa might be a world-class talent, as demonstrated by a few impressive moments scattered through this album. [This edition includes a bonus track.]