With Simili, Italian superstar Laura Pausini delivers her first recording of new material in five years. Also released in a Spanish-language version entitled Similares, it marks the first time Pausini has not written all of her material. Instead, she collaborated with a who's-who of her country's most successful songwriters including Niccolo Agliardi, Biagio Antonacci, Giuliano Sangiorgi, and Jovanotti. In some cases, she entrusted entire tracks to them. As such, the album is an experiment. The first radio single, "Lato Destro del Cuore" written by Antonacci, is a bona fide chart success. Other highlights include the title track -- the theme songs of the second season of the Italian television series Braccialetti Rossi; the dancefloor anthem "Chiedilo al Cielo"; the dramatic power ballad "Il Nostro Amore Quotidiano" (co-written by Agliardi and Pausini); the nuevo flamenco-inspired dance cut "Tornero (Con Calma si Vedra)"; and the celebratory "Per la Musica," with a chanted chorus, thunderous tympanies, and massive electric guitars. Simili may offer surprises, but in the grain and authority of Pausini's voice, all of these songs ultimately end up hers. This is a welcome return from the Italian pop legend. (Another interesting note is that Pausini has vowed to release a different video for each of the album's 15 tracks.) ~ Thom Jurek