Search - Graciela Beltran :: A Los Grandes

Beltran's latest a mixed bag

Kevin Goss | Tempe, AZ United States | 06/05/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Graciela Beltran's new album, ''A Los Grandes'', offers some nice surprises. A fresh, romantic Beltran playfully seduces the listener on tracks such as ''Si Acaso Vuelves'', ''Una Limosna'', and ''Que Va''. She then surrenders herself completely to her audience with the beautiful Mexican classic, ''Entrega Total''. Beltran's interpretation of the tune leaves the listener breathless. Finally, she finishes off the album with a touch of resignation, declaring that she ''will get out of the way'' so that her lover can move on with somebody new (''Me Voy a Quitar de en Medio''). The other five tracks on the album are slower and are examples of the heavy Banda sound popularized by singers such as Lupillo Rivera. They will be enjoyed mainly by hard-core Banda fans. The rest of us can skip over those tracks to get to the songs that caused us to love Beltran in the first place: those where her honey-sweet voice is perfectly accompanied by wind instruments, with a medium-paced beat that lifts the spirits and causes us to smile. Beltran said that her goal with this album is to pay tribute to some of Mexico's greatest singers and composers. With this album, she appears to be ready to take her place next to them."