Despite major-label backing, Cuba native Ana Rodriguez never came within miles of achieving the commercial success of peers
Debbie Gibson and
Tiffany -- who debuted in the same year and were several years her senior. But in fact, at only 15,
Ana was capable of surpassing both in vocal maturity and delivery. Perhaps the somewhat odd combination of teen-friendly synth pop numbers and sophisticated, soulful ballads on her self-titled debut suggested a lack of direction, but
Ana is thoroughly convincing in each vein. It's hard to believe she had probably attended her first high-school dance shortly before recording mature, wailing numbers like "Learn to Love Again" and "I Can See It in Your Eyes." With a distinctly thick tone accented with sweet resonance, she strikes just the right balance between sensitivity and power on the set's five ballads. The material has far more merit than that on her rather dismal 1990 follow-up,
Body Language, which fell victim to poor production by
Maurice Starr and even
Gibson. Whether one's looking to dance or soul-search,
Ana provides an ideal soundtrack.