Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari

The Profile

Italian singer-songwriter who fused blues, soul, and rock into mainstream pop. Broke through in the 1980s with albums such as Blue's and Oro Incenso & Birra, and scored international successes with Senza una donna (Without a Woman) and the Pavarotti duet Miserere. Continued with hit albums into the 2000s and 2010s, including Black Cat.

Appeared at Sanremo (youth section) in 1982; Rispetto (1986) marked a compositional turning point, produced by Corrado Rustici, with Gino Paoli writing the lyric for Come Il Sole All'Improvviso and a dedication to Joe Cocker; Oro Incenso & Birra blends soul, funk, gospel, and psychedelia (incl. Diamante); Black Cat features contributions from Bono Vox, Mark Knopfler, Biagio Antonacci, and includes a cover of Avicii’s Ten More Days.

Three reviews focus on Zucchero’s blues-soul-gospel core. Rispetto (1986) is framed as a turning point, with Corrado Rustici’s production and Gino Paoli’s lyric on Come Il Sole All'Improvviso. Oro Incenso & Birra blends sacred and profane with punchy funk-soul and luminous ballads like Diamante. Black Cat adds high-profile input (Bono Vox, Mark Knopfler, Biagio Antonacci) and an Avicii cover, drawing mixed notes on a few tracks but overall praise.