Posted on: October 14, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Gloria Estefan – 90 Millas / 2007 Sony / 14 Tracks / http://www.90millas.com / http://www.gloriaestefan.com /

2007 marks the 30th year for Estefan being a major part of Latin music in the United States. 1977 was the first year for the Miami Sound Machine, who would gain acclaim for “Dr. Beat”, “Conga”, “Bad Boy”, and “Words Get In The Way”. Estefan would chart on what seemed to be a yearly basis from then on, and “90 Millas” marks the stage in which ey will have eir next string of hits. “90 Millas” is a Spanish-language album, and tracks like “No Llores” will assuredly find some way to crack through to the English market.

Estefan’s strong vocals blend perfectly to the Santana-provided guitars on the track. All of this aural richness makes a track that is barely above three minutes into something that feels like a great eternity. “Me Odio”, the first track on the disc, has a slower, slinkier sound but still brings the fire of the Latin style at all the right points. “Lo Nuestro” brings a blending of the two styles that started off the disc; a guitar construct similar to the styles of Irish music leads into a more emotional, soulful set of vocals put down by Estefan. The reason why Estefan has been such a major figure in Latin music for all of these years has to be the sheer amount of styles that ey has approached in that time. “90 Millas” has so many different approaches, influences, and general styles broached during its fifty-plus minute runtime that individuals of all ages can find something that they like in the 14 cuts on the disc.

“Caridad” is another stand out track on “90 Millas”; the horns present during the track gives the song a very sixties flair that is brought to the current by Estefan’s more than capable vocals. It is always great to hear such a veteran come forth with a fresh and strong sound, even with so many albums under eir belt. I know that I am not generally a fan of the musical style, but Estefan keeps things interesting and makes it easy for novices to appreciate the style. Individuals might be put off by the fact that all of the tracks on the disc are done in Spanish, but Estefan enunciates every word with such care that individuals should be able to decipher generally what ey is singing about. Give the disc a go, regardless of whether you are a fan.

Top Tracks: A Ballar, Besame

Rating: 6.5/10

Leave a Comment