Rocio Dúrcal, the Spanish-born matriarch of epic Latin balladry, has had a recording career spanning several decades that is enviable by the most well-established veteran. Her smooth, emotive voice has soared over dramatic, sweeping orchestral arrangements for over 30 years. For an artist not hurting for compilations, with close to 30 to her credit, one might wonder what the significance of yet another could be. The 2006 release of
Amor Eterno: Los Exitos by the Norte label could seem like a small ripple on a wide pond, but with amazing Billboard success, it demands another look. Her work with arrangers and producers like
Marco Antonio Solís and
Juan Carlos Calderon has placed her at the very top the Latin pop world, with a preference toward more mature audiences, similar to U.S. artists like
Bette Midler and
Barbra Streisand.
Dúrcal, though also performing in popular bolero styles, has shown a preference toward the music of Mexico, despite her own continental birth. This is evident on
Amor Eterno, several tunes including ranchera and other mexicano influences. By and large, most folkloric voices tend to be drown out by the grandiose string arrangements and pop rhythm section. Nonetheless, the qualities that brought
Dúrcal to the lavish success that she enjoys to this day are clearly evident on
Amor Eterno. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez