Emilia-Romagna might be a long way from the Mississippi Delta, but Italian blues rocker Zucchero Fornaciari never let that slow him down. The undisputed king of Italo boogie first emerged in the ‘80s, when his shimmering blues-pop reigned. Since then, the man whose name means “sugar” has moved steadily toward a sleeker approach that favours sweetly oozing Italian ballads as much as New Orleans-inspired shuffle. But old-time gospel and American blues remain the bedrock of Zucchero's music, and his inimitably gruff vocals retain their bite.