Ana Gabriel DOS Amores Un Amante CD

Adapters: Mary McCluskey; Buddy McCluskey.
Personnel: Mario Figueroa (acoustic guitar); Ernesto Abrego (electric guitar, keyboards); Onesimo Arce, David Pedragosa (electric guitar); Benjamín Carone, Evgueni Alexeev (violin); Abel Orozco (trumpet, bugle); Manuel Valle (trumpet); Roberto Roffiel (keyboards, programming); Javier Quilez (electric bass); Javier Losada, Mariano Losada, Miguel Angel Collado (programming).
Liner Note Author: Ana Gabriel.
Recording information: AG Studios, Mexico; Eurisonic, Madrid, Spain; G-16 Madrid, Spain; Manoa Studios, Madrid, Spain.
Arrangers: Javier Losada; Miguel Angel Collado; Rigoberto Alfaro; Pedro Ramírez.
With DOS AMORES UN AMANTE, Mexican pop star Ana Gabriel offers up a typically eclectic set. Songs range from the surging club-ready track "Olvidate De Ellos" to the spare, traditionally minded song "La Farsante" to the gentle ballad "Sin Tu Amor." The album's consistent thread, of course, is Gabriel's passionate, plaintive voice, which is equally as suited for dance-floor workouts as for light, lilting folk numbers. Those particularly drawn to the singer's less poppy material should seek out 2004's appropriately titled TRADICIONAL, while listeners looking for the breadth of her considerable talent can find it on this entertaining and diverse outing.
There is no artist around that can breathe contemporary life into traditional Mexican music like Ana Gabriel. In a genre that either tends to remain cloistered in purist thinking or cheapens its own traditions with the addition of dance club silliness, Gabriel has the maturity and musicality to find that ever so elusive balance between the old and the new. Her 2005 release, Dos Amores un Amante, displays her unmistakably unique vocal timbre and skill for melodic interpretation better than any of her previous works. Throughout the CD, the raw emotion of her performances exemplifies the dramatic beauty that Mexican vocalists have worked to emulate for generations. Like any truly great musician, Gabriel has not only mastered the melodic gestures and ornamentation that typify her roots, but has gone steps beyond tradition to develop her own personal artistic voice. There is an even split between the traditional waltzes and ballads that won Gabriel respect, and the modern innovations that have won her the hearts of a new generation of listeners. Among the true gems present are flamenco/house tinged "Debo Hacerlo," and the modern dance track "Olvidate de Ellos." On the more traditional side, there's the delicately arranged "Te Llegara Mi Olvido." Regardless of its influences or target audience, every track has a unique quality, and all are brilliantly interpreted and rendered by Gabriel's emotive, rough-edged alto. It has been said that traditional Mexican music is an acquired taste. Dos Amores un Amante will hit the sweet spot for the well-seasoned and uninitiated listener alike. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez