Eros Ramazzotti: 9 version on CD in Standard edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Ariola in cooperation with BMG Nederland BV on 30. November 2006.

Finally, it's here again: Eros Ramazzotti, the embodiment of Mediterranean melancholy, passion and joie de vivre in equal measure, returns with a new CD, a good two and a half years after his last, very successful studio album "Stilelibero". The silver disc is simply called "9", as it is Signore Ramazzotti's ninth studio work. Despite the unremarkable title, however, it can easily be argued that "9" is the most haunting and compelling work in Eros' more than 20-year musical career. This is mainly due to the fact that the Roman superstar, who was born on October 28, 1963 in the relatively poor Cinecittà neighborhood, has always let many personal impressions seep into his work. This time, however, it was impressions and experiences that left a lasting impression on Eros. Which is very beneficial for his music. For him, though, it was - in Eros' original words from April 2003 - "a lot of hard nuts to crack and digest". Most of the 13 songs on "9" attest to that. Milan, spring 2003: Eros Ramazzotti has remained an impulsive, unpretentious and likeable contemporary, despite being one of Europe's most successful pop musicians since the beginning of his career in the early 1980s, selling more than 30 million albums worldwide to date, almost a third of them in Germany alone. Yet there is not a trace of arrogance in his statement, "It's all about the music first and the artist who created it second." Listening to the thirteen songs on the CD, however, you begin to doubt whether their producer is really as level-headed and cheerful as he outwardly presents himself. Eros Ramazzotti has always had a penchant for grand dramatic gestures and musical melancholy wrapped in richness. But "9" is more than just a collection of pop mini-opera's, it's the artist's most moving, autobiographical work to date. On "9," Ramazzotti reflects on all the complex experiences that have befallen him over the past two and a half years. And in some cases, he says it outright poignantly: his divorce from his wife Michelle Hunzicker, his related part-time fatherhood for their young daughter Aurora Sophia (born December 4, 1996), and the death of his beloved mother last July. Moreover, a radical change in living conditions has meant that Eros no longer lives with his family in their shared villa on Lake Como, but in the centre of Milan, just a few blocks from Michelle and Aurora's apartment. So a lot has happened in the life of the thirty-nine year old man. "9" impressively reflects all these changes. It's no wonder that a touch of melancholy has settled on the CD. As usual, there is no shortage of catchy melodies: the first single "Un' Emozione Per Sempre" (= endless feeling) invites to dance and dream in equal measure. As usual, one melodic highlight after another follows. Eros himself seems almost irritated when he listens to "9" in hindsight. But the two years before that were definitely the most exhausting and difficult phase of my existence so far. After all, three women have more or less left my life: My mother realistically by her death, Michelle by divorcing her, and Aurora by spending most of her time with my mom. Eros tried to cope with this situation through the songs on the album "9", which he freely admits: "Anyone who studies the lyrics on the record," he says, "can read a lot about me and my mental life over the last two years. And as I mentioned, the situation hasn't been particularly rosy. The fact that the record sounds quite emotional also has to do with my background: we Italians are an extremely emotional people. This is also reflected in our art. And because I write new songs at night, this atmosphere spreads through my songs. But that's always been the case.

Album spans genres Rock, Pop, Pop Rock, Soft Rock, AOR and Europop.