Five producers‚ three conductors and five different recording venues were used for this collection of popular songs from ‘as many different countries as was possible to assemble on one CD’. José Carreras is nothing if not valiant‚ and as his days as an opera singer now seem to be mostly a thing of the past‚ he obviously feels that his fans need a different repertory and a different approach. The presentation of the CD is inadequate: there are no texts or translations‚ and it doesn’t even say which country each song comes from. Although it’s easy enough to identify Edith Piaf’s signature Hymne à l’amour or Harry Belafonte’s Island in the sun‚ where exactly are we with A la luz de una luna azul‚ the tune known as Midnight in Moscow‚ with lyrics in Spanish? It’s difficult to imagine who this is really directed at‚ apart from collectors of crossover curiosities. Don’t get me wrong‚ I’ve nothing against crossover‚ and I have enjoyed many opera singers’ excursions into uncharted waters (Dame Gwyneth Jones singing ‘Memory’ from Cats is a favourite of mine). The trouble here is that despite the Vienna Symphony Orchestra‚ augmented by rock ensemble and the lusty Crouch End Festival Chorus‚ Carreras too often sounds overburdened. He sings in Japanese in Kawa no nagare no yô ni and in Chinese (I think) in Sorrow of the Red Beans‚ and in the final selection‚ Senza ritorno‚ mixes Italian and Polish. So‚ in principle‚ I suppose there’s something for nearly everyone.