PARTE DE MI, ROSARIOUniversal Latino, Spain ***
Rating: 62
By Carlos Reyes
The latest album from our favorite Spaniard muse Rosario Flores dropped today, an anticipated collection of the music that has inspired her to become a contemporary ‘adult’ diva. Indeed it is a solid set of songs from rookies such as Juan Luis Guerra, Roberto Carlos or Camilo Sexto to the edgier Vicentico or Antonio Vega. Besides Rosario having a unique raspy voice, what astonishes everyone is her flavor; she embodies and embraces Spain’s rumba and flamenco, adding touches of the Caribbean and mastering boleros. Parte de Mi is flawed because Rosario is at times unrecognizable; she forgot to make all those classics her own, except for the one home-run track in the album: “Como me la maravillaria yo.” Yes, a song by her late mother, her greatest idol, the great Lola Flores, a truly touching moment that concludes an album of inspirations. Rosario and long-time producer Fernando Illan take very little risks to make a song like “Algo Contigo” (Vicentico), a song that is so dimensional and lyrically universal that it had the potential and begged to be interpreted explosively. This is by far her most pop album yet, she projects sensuality in everything she touches, but this is a second-rate Rosario that is way too secluded to be memorable. But please listen to “Por tu ausencia” (from Manzanita), a song in Spanish and Portuguese that keeps this album from feeling mediocre. Sure Rosario makes one of her most personal works yet, but unlike Niña Pastori in Joyas Prestadas, she doesn’t strike for the authentic. We are not asking for reinventations of these songs a la A.B. Quintanilla, but it would have benefited from more transitions and less adaptation. Self-awareness is a tough business, let’s hope she comebacks with something as rewarding as her Latin Grammy winning albums Muchas Flores and De Mil Colores.
♫♫♫ "Algo Contigo"