Miguel Bosé took a victory lap of the Spanish-speaking world following the marathon recording sessions for
Papito (2007), which had carried on for ten months and involved seven different producers in 19 different recording studios. A crowning achievement nominated for several Grammys and well received commercially, topping the album charts in multiple countries,
Papito was a career-spanning retrospective effort for which
Bosé re-recorded his greatest hits with a star-studded cast of collaborators including
Julieta Venegas,
Shakira,
Ricky Martin,
Juanes,
Laura Pausini,
Alejandro Sanz, and others. Like its studio counterpart, which marked
Bosé's 30-year anniversary as a recording artist,
Papitour is a career-spanning retrospective effort featuring the Spanish superstar's greatest hits. The CD/DVD package includes video of a 31-song concert performance in Madrid, Spain, including material from across the spectrum of
Bosé's deep back catalog, from "Linda" (1977) and "Creo en Ti" (1979), to "Sevilla" (1984) and "Nena" (1986), to "Bambú" (1990) and "Nada Particular" (1993), to "Sereno" and "Morenamía" (both 2001). The audio-only version of the performance compiled onto the 80-minute CD runs shorter at 18 songs but still includes most of the key hits, including all of those aforementioned plus "Amiga" (1977), "Super Superman" (1979), "Teorema" (1980), "Morir de Amor" (1980), "Don Diablo" (1980), "Te Amaré" (1980), "Salamandra" (1986), "Partisano" (1986), "Duende" (1987), and "Si Tú No Vuelves" (1993).
Bosé has no doubt performed these songs time and time again, and perhaps as a result, his performance here sometimes lacks excitement (e.g., "Nena," an energetic song from 20 years earlier on which his advanced age here shows). Thankfully, the Madrid audience lends plenty of excitement to the performance, as they join in frequently for singalongs on highlights such as "Creo en Ti," "Linda," and "Nada Particular." Fans will find plenty to enjoy on
Papitour, but those unfamiliar with
Bosé's 30-year history will find the original (and generally livelier) versions of these songs as compiled on a number of greatest-hits compilations preferable to these latter-day concert performances. ~ Jason Birchmeier