Dejarte de Amar

Personnel: Jeanie Lim, Carole Kleister-Castillo, David Stenske, Alma Fernandez, Samuel Formicola, Denyse Buffum (viola); Maurice Grants, Rudy Stein, Miguel Martinez, Stefanie Fife (cello); Mario Domm (piano).
Recording information: Estudio 19, México D.F.; Henson Estudios, Hollywood, CA.
The passionate trio known as Camila took three years off after their debut album, Todo Cambió, shook the Latin music world with its 21st century twist on the power ballad. Their return effort, Dejarte de Amar, suggests the time off was used to explore the possibilities of this sound. Here, the heart-wrenching songs have evolved from a Maroon 5 size to a larger -- and arguably better -- sound that's Coldplay big, filling the speakers with layers of strings, rock guitars, and full-bodied piano. The opening highlight, "Mientes," is on the soft side of the spectrum, while the powerful "Maya" proves the trio can deliver that fist-in-the-air-type number with the same skill. Fans who fell for the first album are likely to fall even harder for this well-crafted and more ambitious follow-up. ~ David Jeffries