Almost a decade after
Kelly Clarkson was crowned the first American Idol, 22-year-old Puerto Rican singer
Christian Pagán stormed to victory on his Puerto Rican homeland's first ever series, hence this rush-released first offering,
De Miles a Uno. Adopting the simple formula of most countries' winners' debuts, its ten tracks focus largely on the material he performed during the show's 12-week run, with studio versions of songs originally recorded by some of Puerto Rico's most famous musical talents, including
Rafael Hernandez on the string-soaked bossa nova of opener "Lamento Borincano" and
Ricky Martin on the emotive balladry of "Vuelve," sitting alongside covers of tropical pop classics from Venezuelan
Franco de Vita ("Un Buen Perdedor") and the Dominican Republic's
Juan Luis Guerra ("Bachata Rosa"). While the likes of
José Luis Perales' "¿Y Cómo Es Él?" and
Luis Fonsi's "Me Matas" allow him to showcase the smooth romantic tones that endeared him to judges and audiences alike, it's the new material that proves to be the most enjoyable. Winner's single "Hoy Es Mi Momento" is a slinky slice of Latin pop that thankfully eschews the standard acoustic faux-rock treatment dished out to most Idols, while "Por Eso Me Voy," a stripped-back acoustic duet with judge
Erika Ender, and "Navidad Es Amor," a festive collaboration with runner-up
Japhet Albert, shows he can now compete with more experienced performers as well as his counterparts.
De Miles a Uno sounds exactly like you'd expect it to, but there's enough potential here to suggest that
Pagán can keep the momentum going once he's stepped off the Idol treadmill. ~ Jon O'Brien