Il Volo Takes Flight: Live from the Detroit Opera House

Personnel: Dean Parks (guitar); Randy Kerber (piano, keyboards); Blair Sinta (drums).
Audio Mixers: Cristián Robles; Humberto Gatica.
Photographer: Glenn Coreoran.
Recorded for a PBS fundraising special on one of their first ever North American shows, Il Volo Takes Flight: Live from the Detroit Opera House is the first live album from Il Volo, the Italian teenage trio dubbed as the Three Tenors meets the Jonas Brothers. Produced by Grammy-winner Humberto Gatica (Michael Bublé) and Italian composer Tony Renis, it features eight performances of tracks from their self-titled Billboard Top Ten debut, including "E Piu' Ti Penso," the medley of Morricone themes from Once Upon a Time in America and Malena, an emotive take on Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," and two songs that allude to their American Idol connections in the shape of the Diane Warren-penned "La Luna Hizo Esto," a bilingual duet with 2011 finalist Pia Toscano, and the bossa nova-tinged reworking of "'O Sole Mio" that launched them to fame in both the U.S. and their homeland. Elsewhere, there are new recordings of Neapolitan classics such as "Funiculi' Funicula'," "Non Ti Scordar di Me," and "Mattinata," and expressive renditions of Agustín Lara's "Granada" and Jimmy Fontana's "Il Mondo," all of which showcase their impressively mature and warm romantic tones in front of a lush 66-piece orchestra and a receptive sellout crowd. A far more authentic proposition on record than their older counterparts, Il Divo, Live from the Detroit Opera House shows that Il Volo are just as convincing on-stage. ~ Jon O'Brien