Of the innumerable
Chichos compilations released over the years,
Hasta Aquí Hemos Llegado is special. It finds the rhumba flamenca legends performing 16 of their greatest hits in collaboration with an impressive lineup of Spanish musical talent.
Estopa,
Bebe,
Los Delinqüentes, and
Pitingo -- some of the most successful Spanish acts of the past decade -- are among those who collaborate with
Los Chichos on
Hasta Aquí Hemos Llegado, which doubles as a tribute album and greatest-hits compilation. Indeed, most of the collaborators featured on the album are contemporary acts who are a generation or two younger than
Los Chichos (an exception is
Los Chunguitos, a rival group from the 1970s that shows up on the album closer, "Mujer Cruel"). These youngsters inject a lot of enthusiasm and youthful spunk into these songs, and occasionally they steal the spotlight from
Los Chichos, making these songs their own. As you might imagine, it's an honor for these young artists to team up with
Los Chichos, one of the most influential Spanish groups of the 1970s and '80s. The highlights of
Hasta Aquí Hemos Llegado are mostly sequenced early, in particular "Historia de Juan Castillo" (with
Estopa), "Te Vas, Me Dejas" (
Antonio Orozco), "Ni Mas Ni Menos" (
Los Delinqüentes), and "Quiéreme con Alegría" (
El Arrebato). Some of the collaborations unfortunately turn out poorly, particularly those sequenced toward the end of the album (e.g., "Otro Camino" with
Ismael Serrano, "Vente Conmigo Gitana" with
José el Francés), and given their advanced age,
Los Chichos understandably aren't in their best voice here. Nevertheless, there are enough highlights among the 16 collaborations to make
Hasta Aquí Hemos Llegado worthwhile if not all-around excellent. Longtime fans of
Los Chichos may find themselves turned off by the commercially oriented production job, not to mention the featured acts. On the other hand, there will surely be a good number of listeners otherwise uninterested in
Los Chichos who find themselves drawn in by the guest list and turned on by what they discover. ~ Jason Birchmeier