With his growled, languid voice and a songwriting style that veers from chanson to jazz, tango and blues, Paolo Conte is Italy’s answer to Jacques Brel, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen combined. He celebrates his 81st birthday this month, and this four-CD box set is a reminder of his extraordinary, still-continuing career. It starts with the new, pained and half-spoken Per Te, with backing dominated by his own piano and by accordion, and then switches to the gently swinging Sotto Le Stelle Del Jazz, and the thoughtful, languid but jaunty 1981 hit Madeleine. Then there’s the upbeat, jazzy and multilingual Via Con Me, a bestseller in France, and the gently stomping Happy Feet. Conte’s songs are strong on melody and emotion, and there are constant surprises. The collaborations include Don’t Break My Heart, a powerful string-backed duet with Miriam Makeba that includes a trumpet solo from Dizzy Gillespie.
