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Cuando Se Ama - Remake of a Laura Pausini song. Te Amo - Good lyrics, but the hook falls a little short. Que Te Vas - Overall great song. Despite having sub-par songs and arrangements, it's George's great interpretations that keep you interested.
No Vivire - Not a very good song. Amor De Entrega Total - Nice song. George's great tenor vocals and flawless inflections really compliment the songs greatly. Great interpretation but the arrangements were lacking.3. The pregon however was pretty spectacular.
Good lyrics, good arrangements, and of course great vocals.6. Superior vocals, great arrangements and an awesome energy.2. Solo Palabras - Pretty bad song. Once again awesome lyrics and a great interpretation.8.
First let me start by saying that I am absolutely enamored by the vocals on this album. Lamond shines on the improvisation and the chorus is on point.5. Me Niego A Perderte - Very nice song. There's not much lyrical content here, but Lamond makes the best of what was given to him.7. The horrible rapper certainly didn't help. Y Ahora Donde Estaras - Not your traditional salsa song, but Lamond's vocals really shine on here.9 Nada - Pretty good arrangements and stellar vocals.10. What a shame that Lamond couldn't team up with a producer such as Sergio George who would have maximized his talent instead of giving him such dreadfully bland songs such as "Solo Palabras" and "No Vivire."1.
Si No Estas Aqui - Decent song. The lyrics were uninspiring and the arrangements were once again below average. The only thing that saved it were Lamond's vocals and the good chorus.4. It's a remake of an Ian Chester song and Lamond does it quite well. Not great, but not bad.
I have heard his earlier material, before he decided to go the salsa route, and, though, I am not a huge fan of 80s freestyle music, that guy made me like it anyway. It sparkled with energy and life. It just sounds too repetitive. What a great interpretation of a song that was first recorded as a ballad.
Sure enough, "Cuando Se Ama," "Solo Palabras" (with the corny reggae bridge), "Te Amo," "Me Niego de Perderte," "No Vivire," "Amor de Enterga Total," and the rest of the tracks (with the exception of "Si Tu No Estas") basically sounded the same. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is not up to par with that first song. First of all, I want you all to know I think George is a great singer. My introduction to George Lamond's album, "Entrega" was my first experience listening to the sample of the first track, "Si Te Vas" (written by Juan Gabriel). Still, if this your introduction to Mr. We hear the same syncopated sound from the timbales, the same hook.
I imagine this is what puts people off of salsa so much--they think that if they have heard one tune, they have heard them all. At first I thought I was hearing things, so I kept going to the next track to confirm that what I was hearing what true.
Lamond, and you are only listening to it for the vocals, you won't be disappointed. I wanted to get up dancing then and there.
Come on, George. He has the kind of warmth, expression and originality that definitely makes him stand out in a crowd of numerous other singers who have recorded similiar material.
It's unfortunate, but a lot of the songs sound the same on this album start off the same. I know that isn't all you have in you.
(Though, it is hard to ignore the accompaniment).
Can't deny that "Que Te Vas" became a worthy smash hit in the summer of 99' even on the weekend tropical slot at spanish pop ballad station in Houston. The song took me by surprise the first time I heard it when it picked up the tempo half way through the song on the piano solo. The rest of the album starts slowing down and fading away, but I took it as a sign for a better album next time, and it happened.
And if you're going to re-make a song, be a little more gender-neutral next time when you make your choice. I expected something better from George Lamond in his Salsa crossover. Lamond always has had one of the most resonant, and powerful ranges in freestyle/dance music. People are going to gwack at the subtle sexism underlying my remarks, but I'm not holding them back.
"Que te Vas" is probably the most innovative arrangement on here, considering it's one of the only tracks on the album that received any playtime on Latin radio stations. First of all, I am not taking anything away from his vocals. "Si tu No Estas" probably drove millions of women crazy because it's a Menudo song. But, George Lamond can do better than this. Like I said earlier, he has a superb singing ability.
But of course you're going to get under the skin of men like me who really didn't dig Menudo back then - even though some of us respect Ricky Martin's musical contributions today. I know you can. In his Salsa ventures, other than Huey Dunbar and Marc Anthony, I don't think there are any any other male artists today who can compete with his vocal ranges.However, what hurts this album are the arrangements. You have to appeal to everyone in an industry like Salsa, otherwise you will suffer the fate of others who have had unsuccesful cross-overs.It's a given you're not going to make everyone happy when you record an album. What he needs to do is get some more aggressive arrangements if wishes to top some of his fellow contemporaries.
The happy, sappy arrangements on this album have a dragging effect. You'll often have people screaming "Yuck, this stuff reaks of salsa romance, yadda, yadda, yadda.not real salsa.yadda.yadda." I am a big fan of today's Salsa as much as the Old School stuff. Deliver on your next album.
George Lamond became the king of freestyle with classics like "Bad of the Heart", "Where Does That Leave Love", and his duet with Brenda K. George shines on the #1 smash "Que Te Vas", a masterpiece written by Mexican-born singer-composer Juan Gabriel. Starr "No Matter What". Now he's back with his first Salsa CD, "Entrega". He also re-made Menudo's classic hit "If you're not here" in Salsa and sounds as good as Robi Rosa did on the original. If you like romantic, Marc Anthony style Salsa, this one's for you.
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