Jon Secada Same Dream CD

Latin-pop singer/songwriter Jon Secada truly mixes it up on his release SAME DREAM, a stylistic merry-go-round that shows Secada to be as flexible as his is talented. SAME DREAM careens from funky R&B and club tunes to country-flavored balladry and reggaeton, yet the disparate styles are unified by Secada's powerful, emotive voice.

Secada takes a few reflective turns, as on "Last to Know" and the intimate, moving title track. And the songs "She's All I Ever Had" (which he wrote for Ricky Martin) and "Coming Out of the Dark" (which he wrote for his former Miami Sound Machine boss Gloria Estefan) both get a nice reworking as Secada puts his personal stamp on them. Meticulously produced, passionately performed, and exhibiting a wide scope, SAME DREAM is one of Secada's strongest efforts.

Same Dream is Jon Secada's first pop album in five years and although there's been a long wait between albums, Secada hasn't changed his sound much. In fact, Same Dream sounds as if he's turning back the years even further than 2000s Better Part of Me, as if he's trying to reconnect with the appealing mellow sound that fueled his early-'90s hits. Not only is he not trying to have a big modern dance hit -- the closest he comes is sampling Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" on "My Baby Don't Rock Like That," but the end result sounds closer to soft rock than hip-hop -- he's not even gunning for the Latin pop market here. Instead, this is a pure adult contemporary pop album, with soft surfaces, soulful, tasteful vocals and warm melodies that are sturdy, not hooky. It's well constructed and, even though it was cut by a variety of producers, it's cohesive, making it a satisfying listen. Perhaps it's not anything new from Secada, but it does find him reconnecting to his strengths, which will be more than enough for fans who have followed him for nearly 15 years now. [This edition contains bonus tracks.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Personnel: Jon Secada (vocals, strings, piano, background vocals); Jon Secada; Zach Ziskin (guitar, drum programming); George Noriega, David Cabrera, Guy Walker (guitar); Randall Barlow (bouzouki); Ronnie Begleiter (strings, keyboards); Pete Wallace (keyboards, programming, keyboard programming); Doug Emery (keyboards, programming, drum programming); Eric Hunter (keyboards); Ricardo Suarez (bass guitar); Tony Gundin, Richard Bravo (percussion); Willie Perez-Feria (keyboard programming); Kristie Terry (background vocals); Dan Warner (guitar); Jon Rose (piano); Dennis Gallo (keyboards); Lee Levin, Michael Sylvia (drums); Jason Pennock (programming).

Audio Mixers: Eric Schilling ; Javier Garza; Jim Beeman; Bob Rosa.

Recording information: Big3 Studios, St. Petersburg, FL.

Photographer: Andrew Melick.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.