Negociaré Con La Pena

Recording information: Artquake Studios; EastWest Recording Studios; Leboot Studio; Phantom Vox Studios.
Pepe Aguilar has recorded a variety of albums. The Mexican singer has performed traditional rancheras with mariachi accompaniment; he has recorded albums with brassy banda instrumentation, and of course, he has recorded plenty of sleek Latin pop, which, stylistically, is something that sets him apart from his iconic father, the late singer/actor Don Antonio Aguilar (who was very much an old-school mariachi/ranchera traditionalist). And sleek Latin pop is exactly what Pepe Aguilar provides on his six-song EP, Negociaré con la Pena. This 2011 release is by no means a traditional Mexican album; Negociaré con la Pena is romantic Latin pop all the way. This is Spanish-language adult contemporary, if you will, and anyone who has spent a lot of time listening to Marco Antonio Solís or Julio Iglesias should appreciate the romantic introspection that Aguilar brings to ballads like "Si No Me Amas" ("If You Don't Love Me"), "Prometiste" ("You Promised"), "Ni Contigo, Ni Sin Ti" ("Neither with You Nor Without You"), and "Yo Sin Ti" ("Me Without You"). Some people might think that adult contemporary is strictly an English-language phenomenon, but that isn't the case at all; adult contemporary exists in a variety of languages, including Spanish. And if Aguilar had translated all six of these songs into English and aimed this 23-minute CD at the English-speaking market rather than the Latin market, no one would doubt for a minute that this is an adult contemporary release. Negociaré con la Pena is not among Aguilar's more essential recordings; nonetheless, this is an enjoyable effort that will please the many hardcore followers who want to hear everything that Aguilar does. ~ Alex Henderson