Lorenzo Antonio switches unpredictably between English and Spanish in these mostly lackluster adaptations of songs from Mexico's famous balladeer
Juan Gabriel.
Antonio's voice, while expressive and technically competent, doesn't match
Gabriel's quirky sexually ambiguous charisma, and the backing tracks tend to sink under an excess of late-'80s vintage digital keyboards and unnatural reverb. The uptempo songs start well enough in an Emilio Estefan-influenced sort of way, but quickly the metronomic tempo and awkward empty spaces in the flow of the music sap the energy. The best moments are found in the alternate versions of "Cuando Me Vaya de Tu Lado" and "¿Como, Cuando y Porque?" that close the album, the former containing a tight guitar hook that for some reason was left off the clunky album opener, and the latter containing a kind of San Antonio/Tex-Mex vibe that the original lacks. "Yo Quiero Ser Igual Que Tu," which delivers some the song's inherent mystery, is also impressive. But for the most part, these songs are better served by the more distinctive voices that have attempted them over the years. ~ J. Chandler