It has been some time since we received silky-smooth Contemporary Italian all-male sextet Neri Per Caso's first, self-titled CD. It blew us away like a warm Mediterranean breeze, and from the first few bars of 'La Raccolta' we can hear that they've only gotten better--smoother, sexier, and the harmonies and vocal percussion richer and more effortless. As the liner notes are all in Italian we still don't understand a word (except for the final cut, a sumptuous cover of Lennon/McCartney's 'Here, There and Everywhere), but then again, chocolate gelato melts in your mouth whether you understand the language or not! 17 songs, a lot of originals 'Amore Psicologico,' 'La Ragazze,' 'Sentimento Pentimento,' 'Donne,' 'Quando,' 'Io Ci Saro'Šthese songs simply cook. Four tracks, 'Quello Che Vuoi,' 'Fortuna,' 'Io Ci Saro' and 'Centro Di Gravita Permanente,' are also on the debut CD. Most of the second half of the CD, including 'Mai Piu Sola,' 'Appena Un Po A Est,' 'Sara,' 'Che Cosa Sei' and 'Un Angelo Blu,' are intensely accompanied. In their a cappella tunes, NPC is like an Italian Rockapella, if you will--there's a tremendous amount of charisma and talent here, and all we can say is, 'recommended!'

Listen to Donne in RealAudio.