Swap a CD: 15 Recently Posted CDs

Contra la Corriente - Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony — 2009-11-21T23:19:30-05:00

While it doesn't quite match the dizzying heights of his breakthrough Todo a Su Tiempo, Marc Anthony's third album Contra la Corriente is nevertheless a barnstormer of a record. Anthony is no typical salsa singer -- he's a powerful, bold singer who doesn't follow the genre's traditions. He ignores improvisation and concentrates on love songs, but the very sensuality of his vocals and music is his trademark. There might not be as many great songs here as on Todo a Su Tiempo, but there are no bad tunes, and Contra la Corriente on the whole captures his soaring, sexy vocals in a near-flawless manner. ~ Terry Jenkins, All Music Guide

Mi Sangre - Juanes

Juanes — 2009-11-21T22:37:58-05:00

Mi Sangre is the awaited follow-up to the hugely successful Un DÍa Normal, the multi-Latin Grammy-winning and best-selling latin album of 2003, which made Juanes a star. Although he has a different background than many latin stars, now it's hard to tell the difference between him and the rest. His music and words sound more conventional than ever. Like Un DÍa Normal's lyrics, Mi Sangre's are hopeful and romantic. There are many love songs ("Amame," "Para Tu Amor," "Nada Valgo sin Tu Amor") and a couple of naÏve looks over reality ("QuÉ Pasa?" and "SueÑos"). Musically, this album is rawer than its predecessor. Somehow it's also less catchy. It was also produced by Gustavo Santaolalla. It's not a bad album by latin pop standards. ~ IvÁn Adaime, All Music Guide

Oral Fixation Vol 2 Bonus Track - Shakira

Shakira — 2009-11-21T22:37:58-05:00

Shakira delights in confounding expectations, and nowhere is that better seen than in how she secured a massive crossover audience on her own terms. She blended latin pop and American mainstream pop, on both the dance and easy listening sides of the equation, on her 2001 breakthrough, Laundry Service, but it was no crass cash grab -- she eased herself into the transition, balancing songs in Spanish and English on the record while crafting tunes in both languages to appeal to both longtime fans and new listeners. That set the stage for her magnum opus of 2005, the two-part FijaciÓn Oral, Vol. 1/Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. Vol. 1 was her first Spanish-language latin pop album since 1998 and the second was her first ever all-English crossover album, and if anybody was expecting the latter to be a continuation of Laundry Service, consisting of nothing but sexy dance tunes and power ballads, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 will be a bit of a surprise: it's a deadly serious, ambitious pop/rock album, most assuredly not frivolous dance-pop. Even when the album dives into pulsating neo-disco, it's in the form of a protest song in the closer, "Timor," which isn't exactly by the numbers pop. And that's a pretty good description of Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 in general -- it's pop, but it's unconventional. Even when she alludes to pop divas past, whether it's with the foreboding gospel choir on "How Do You Do" that brings to mind "Like a Prayer" or how she cribs from Alanis Morissette on "Illegal" ("You said you would love me until you died/And as far as I know you're still alive" is very close to "You Oughta Know"), Shakira twists these references to her own purposes, taking the music in unexpected directions. All these turns and detours lead to the same general destination: the sound is grandly theatrical, darkly sultry, and unapologetically lurid, a place where Madonna and U2 exist not as peers, but as collaborators. For if this album is anything, it's a global pop/rock album with each of those modifiers carrying equal weight: these are pop songs performed as arena rock, belonging not to a single country but to the world as a whole. As such, the album touches on everything from the expected latin rhythms to glitzy Euro-disco, trashy American rock & roll, and stomping Brit-pop, all punctuated by some stark confessionals, as Shakira sings about everything from love to religion, stopping along the way to reveal that women with 24-inch waists may indeed be heartbroken. If some of these ideas don't necessarily gel, at least Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 is alive with ambition and, more often than not, Shakira winds up with music that is distinctive as both songs and recordings. And that means that Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 is not only a markedly different album from FijaciÓn Oral, but from every other record in her catalog -- or, most importantly, from any other pop album released during 2005. Other artists may be bigger than Shakira while others may make more fully realized albums, but as of the mid-2000s no other pop artist has attempted as much and achieved as much as Shakira, as this often enthralling album proves. [Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 was reissued four months after its original release with a slightly different sequencing and two new tracks: the not very good at all "Hips Don't Lie," which features Wyclef Jean (who shouts out "Shakira" every 20 seconds or so), and a Spanglish version of "La Tortura," a song from FijaciÓn Oral.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Fijacin Oral Vol 1 DualDisc - Shakira

Shakira — 2009-11-21T22:37:57-05:00

Laundry Service gave Shakira her long-anticipated English-language breakthrough, turning her into a global superstar in the process. A hit of that magnitude is hard to follow, so it shouldn't be a great surprise that she toiled on its sequel for upward of four years. What is surprising is that the subsequent album was split in two -- À la Kill Bill -- with the first being devoted to Spanish tunes and the second consisting entirely of English songs; the teasing titles Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 indicate which is which and which hit the market first. It's kind of a sharp move to release Fijacion Oral first, since it not only satisfies her longtime fans who have been waiting a long time for a collection of brand-new Spanish material (she hasn't delivered one since 1998's DÓnde EstÁn los Ladrones?), it also subtly signals that she won't be placing American success above anything else. Similarly, Fijacion Oral smartly straddles the line between traditional latin pop and the sexy, splashy dance-pop and bombastic adult contemporary pop that made Laundry Service a big hit in the U.S.: its heart is in the former, but the production -- the omnipresent Rick Rubin serves as the executive producer -- is slick and bright, enough to make the first single, "La Tortura," sound like a natural for American radio (even if it will never be played because it's sung in Spanish). Despite the surface sheen, Fijacion Oral is proudly a latin pop record, and it conforms to the conventions of its genre, alternating between melodramatic ballads and insistent dance tunes, sometimes working a sleek bossa nova number into the equation for good measure (the terrific "Obtener un SÍ," which sounds like it could have been a big hit in the late '60s). Even if it doesn't break convention, it nevertheless does its job extremely well, with an ample amount of style and flair, as well as more songcraft than Shakira is usually given credit for. She's written each song here, sometimes in collaboration with either Luis F. Ochoa or Lester Mendez, and these ten originals (the 12-track album includes two alternate versions) have a combination of commercial savvy and smart writing, making this album a small triumph, proof that Shakira can not only return to her roots, but expand upon them. Since this is a latin pop record through and through, it will not cross over the way that Laundry Service did, but that's by design: Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 will conquer half of the world, and the other half will follow with Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 in six months' time. Given the strength of this album, it's hard to wait for the second part to arrive. [A DualDisc version was also released.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

MTV Unplugged - Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin — 2009-11-21T22:37:57-05:00

At no point does Ricky Martin's MTV Unplugged sound like an intimate acoustic performance. Like most of the acts on MTV Unplugged since Eric Clapton's Unplugged, Martin brings in a full band, complete with electric bass and keyboards, so even if there are no electric guitars, it sounds big, full, and polished, particularly since his band is augmented by strings and horns. It may not be small-scale, the way that Unplugged was in its earliest days, but the concert does have the effect of stripping Martin back to his basics -- which means that he does no English-language pop and avoids all the silly dance-pop that became his stock-in-trade after "Livin' la Vida Loca," while also avoiding the desperate nature of his 2005 studio album Life. What's left is the power of Martin as a live performer, and he's in good form here, delivering energetic performances of the up-tempo songs and avoiding schmaltz in the ballads. It's an album for the faithful -- instead of stretching, Martin is relying on his strengths -- but it will satisfy those who still stand by Ricky Martin after all the ups and downs in his career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Red Hot Rio - Various Artists

Various Artists — 2009-11-21T21:49:44-05:00

Now this is an interesting project; Brazilian standards and newly-composed music interpreted or transfigured by the old masters, rock stars and cutting-edge '90s musicians - with all the proceeds going to fight the spread of AIDS. What is so remarkable about this album is how wholeheartedly the younger musicians relate to the cruising Brazilian ethos, often without taking the edge off their own idioms. That results in some delightful surprise teamings; rock's George Michael's astoundingly authentic leap into the spirit of "Desafinado" in tandem with Astrud Gilberto, PM Dawn's fusion with Airto and Floria Purim on "Non-Fiction Burning, "and retro-rock band Stereolab's quirky Moog-laced meeting with the fanciful flute of Herbie Mann on "One Note Samba/Surfboard." Another high point - singers Cesaria Evora and Caetano Veloso teaming up with Yellow Magic Orchestra keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto for a pounding, high-tech yet emotional "E Preciso Perdoar." One of the most beautiful compositions is also one of the newest; multi-instrumentalist Money Mark's echt-Brazilian "Use Your Head" that leads off the album. There are very few misfires; one is a lame "Aguas de Marco" where the Talking Heads' David Byrne again proves that he shouldn't be let anywhere near Latin music. A few of the tracks are donations made before the project's conception (Milton Nascimento's lovely vocalise "Dancing...") and there is a touching duet between Antonio Carlos Jobim and Sting on "How Insensitive." As a final production touch, some of the tracks are separated by brief collages of sound that serve as grungy interludes. Anyone with open ears, an adventurous spirit, and a bent for Brazilian music should sample this album. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

Libre - Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony — 2009-11-21T18:26:01-05:00

Even when Marc Anthony had accomplished his major goals of becoming one of the world's best-selling salsa singers, getting successfully involved in the English-language market as well, he decided to look over his roots once again, delving into songwriting to follow his previous latin dance record, Contra La Corriente, released in 1997. Recorded over an eight-month period, Libre comprised nine songs, including the hit single "Celos" and the brilliantly made "Este Loco Que te Mira," "Hasta Que Vuelvas Conmigo," and "Barco a la Deriva." Flawless and seductive, Libre comes to an end with "CaminarÉ," getting Marc Anthony closer to one of Cuban music's treasures, a latin style known as bolero. ~ Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide

Llegar a Ti - Jaci Velasquez

Jaci Velasquez — 2009-11-21T16:57:43-05:00

Sol Negro - Virginia Rodrigues

Virginia Rodrigues — 2009-11-21T16:03:45-05:00

Arising from obscurity, 33-year-old Virginia Rodrigues, who grew up outside of Salvador, Brazil, was introduced to the recording world by Brazil's popular singer Caetano Veloso. Sol Negro is an incredible album that mixes the vocal talents of Rodrigues and percussive rhythms of her native Brazil. To describe this recording as heavenly or hymn-like wouldn't be too far-fetched; the album's rhythms work in tandem to cradle Rodrigues' celestial voice. On the a cappella track "VerÔnica," she demonstrates her youthful, almost childlike vocals. With just as much ease as she sings a cappella, she can shift her vocal talents to a moving samba on "Adeus, Batucada." Appearances by Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento on "Sol Negro" and guitarist Gilberto Gil on "Terra Seca" showcase Brazil's wealth of musical talent. Rodrigues' first major recording succeeds in juxtaposing her ability to carry both lilting Brazilian rhythms and slow harmonious melodies. Undoubtedly her late entrance into the recording world will be marked by a fruitful career. ~ Cliff Samaniego, All Music Guide

Paradiso - Robert Michaels

Robert Michaels — 2009-11-21T15:46:34-05:00

Whaa - ZUCO 103

ZUCO 103 — 2009-11-21T15:44:55-05:00

Macarena Mix - Various Artists

Various Artists — 2009-11-21T08:41:17-05:00

Con Mi Sentimiento - Los Luceros

Los Luceros — 2009-11-21T00:11:58-05:00

Todo a Su Tiempo - Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony — 2009-11-20T21:01:30-05:00

Though Marc Anthony was by many standards an established presence in the field before the 1995 release of Todo a Su Tiempo, it was this record that announced his reign as the crown prince of salsa. Previous projects had shown promise and abundant talent, but never before the level of polish, taste, and confidence present here. His second album with producer Sergio George was certainly a step forward from their 1993 release of Otra Nota. Two years seem to have cleansed this creative duo of its desire for the emotive pop schmaltz that plagued its previous record. Free from these self-destructive longings, George and Anthony set to crafting a crystalline, shimmering, and yet warm contemporary salsa sound that would set the bar for the decade. With musicians like bass player Ruben Rodriguez, percussionists Bobby Allende, Marc QuiÑones, and Luis Quintero, trumpet player and arranger Angel Fernandez, and several other modern masters, this is one for the books, vocal performance notwithstanding. Anthony's voice is soaring and luminescent, as salsa lovers have now come to expect of him. With an enviable range and perhaps the finest improvisational abilities on the scene today, Marc Anthony has earned his reputation. Todo a Su Tiempo is without question one of the finest salsa records of the '90s. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide

Mended - Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony — 2009-11-20T21:01:30-05:00

After several release date shuffles, Marc Anthony issued his sophomore English-language set, Mended, in 2002, shortly after issuing Libre, another excellent Spanish-language salsa album. (Note that both album covers are from the same photo shoot.) Mended delivers more of Anthony's passionate, urgent songs of love and betrayal, destined for mass consumption, which is what his English-speaking fans have been clamoring for. Shining moments include the fiery and exotic single "I've Got You," which also closes off the album as the Spanish-language track "Te Tengo AquÍ," the sexy, mid-tempo "Love Won't Get Any Better," and the album's true highlight, the gutsy, electric, and relentless "Tragedy." That song, incidentally, was slated to be the album's first single, and had begun receiving radio play in the U.S., but was pulled after the events of September 11th. Despite these surefire hits, the album is weighted down by quite a bit of unremarkable material, including "I Reach for You" and "Give Me a Reason," the latter of which seems borderline listless. And the ballads -- oh, the melodrama! None of the many ballads come close to the soaring heights of "You Sang to Me," the closest of which, "I Wanna Be Free," still doesn't match the beauty of that earlier hit. The lyrics are gooey, and the songs seem quite middle of the road, although "Everything You Do," which could have easily come off as pure schlock, winds up being quite likable. So, despite some remarkable moments and Anthony's always excellent singing, the almost too exquisitely produced Mended seems somewhat anticlimactic, which is a shame, considering the breadth of Marc Anthony's undeniable talent. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide