Search - Vicente Fernandez :: Mis Duetos

Chente and friends

Enrique Torres | San Diegotitlan, Califas | 04/05/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a pretty nice collection of duets with a variety of artists where for the most part it works. Beginning with " Tu Ruerdo Y Yo" where he pairs with Jose Alfredo Jimenez and Chente overpowers his solo share of the duet the recording is a mix of good and average sound quality. In this case the mix has Jose Alredo sounding a bit undermixed because his voice sounds "distant" on his solo part whereas Chente booms his solo. When they are singing together it sounds good and in harmony. The duo with Javier Solis finds Chente mimicking the soft vocal stylings of Solis for a near perfect duo where the solos compliment each other. His pairing with son Alejandro Fernandez is sublime especially the familiar "Perdon." If you have never heard their duets and like one or the other you'll be in heaven as their voices sound like one with just a tinge of trying to out Chente the other. The parts where they sing together but different words is fantastic and not to be missed. His duets with the women featured are excellent, especially with Vicky Carr on "Juntos Los Dos," where the distinctively different voices manage to blend in duo, by contrast the husky voice of Aida Cuevas on "Quiereme Mucho" is so similar that it is a match made in heaven. The harmony on "Cuatro Vidas" with Yuri is near perfection and the sensual duet with Ana Gabriel on "Que Dios Te Bendiga" has a macho quality with tenderness displayed by both. Less stellar are some of the other duets but of particualr interest and curiosity is the tropical offerings with Celia Cruz on "Tu Voz." They actually sound pretty good together although this is not the type of genre Chente usually records in. Who knows he's done everything else why not try a tropical bolero disc? There is also a sentimental version(about caring for the mother more) of "Vamos a Cuidarla Mas" where he sings with one of other sons Vicente Jr who is no Alejandro Fernandez. Nonetheless it works. Disc two is a DVD that features five videos, a repeat of the songs on disc I with Aida Cuevas, Roberto Carlos and Alejandro Fernandez. Besides these mentioned videos there is concert footage(besides "Perdon") of Chente and Alejandro where they perform "Amor del los Dos". Seeing these two perform together is special as their love and admiration for each other shines bright. Of special interest is the animation in the song "Al mayor de los Fernandez" where the cartoon singing Fernandez vaquero(cowboy)family is pretty cool but dangerously close to being over cutesy.There are limited liner notes so the origins of these recordings are not explained but it is likely that some came from his movies. Thecartoon was made recently and is very good. Overall a nice addition to the extensive Chente discography , a good bargain with a few songs being worth the price of admission alone. Recommended for Chente fans or those that like mariachi music."