Latin Billboard Music Conference: Laura Pausini

By Fernie Ruano Jr.

Laura Pausini doesn’t like the size of her ass, isn’t stressing the girth of her bank account and would spend anything to see the only thing she considers priceless: a smile from 1-year-old daughter, Paola.

With 25 million records sold worldwide by 2004, a decade after recording “Laura”, her first studio album, Pausini was recently thrown to the (questionnaire) rapid fire during the Latin Billboard Music Conference, where the star revealed the trait she appreciates the most in a man and what would definitely get you blocked on Twitter.

 Q: What do you want that you don’t already have?

           A: A nice, small ass.

Q: The (best) quality a man must have?

          A: Sincerity.

Q: The (best) quality in a woman?

           A: Sincerity.

 Q: How do handle being a public figure on social media?

           A: I like to follow people that interact with me – and I enjoy talking to a lot of singers and songwriters.

Q: What do you do when you see something or somebody says something unpleasant, something you disapprove of?

         A: I block them, especially when they say. “Hey Laura, you have a big behind or something (that's very negative)." 

          Q: What do you consider the best quality in a friend, somebody you consider a friend?
          A: Sincerity.

 Q: What is your favorite line from a movie?

           A: Anything from the Forest Gump movie.

 Q: When are you happiest?

           A: When my daughter, Paola, is smiling at me.

 Q: What makes you the most upset?

           A: When Paola is crying.

 Q: What is your favorite TV show?

           A: My own show. I am going to have a talk show in Italy, like I’m going to be interviewing people. It starts May 16.

 Q: The person you admire the most?

           A: Mother Teresa.

Q: The mantra by which you live by?

          A: Live and let live!

 

 

Read More

Forced “Shakira” is a painful listen

By Fernie Ruano Jr.

 

Where are the paramedics?

That’s about the only question you’re going to be asking yourself – in between reaching for the mute button in hopes of keeping your head from exploding - while listening to the Shakira-Blake Sheldon duet, “Medicine”, the on-a-whim, pop-country track embellished with banjo licks as the vocalists lazily declare the best remedy (gasp!) is having each other.

 

“You’re the only that will,” the pairing insist throughout the migraine-inducing track, which somehow made the cut for Shakira’s new, self-titled album. That’s unless you’re a big shot at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York and go to bat for NBC, the network that employs both singers as coaches on “The Voice”.

 

The message is clear: We’re going to shove this uninspiring and boardroom-conceived song down your throat even if you end up in a coma. Sadly, it does nothing to pump life into the Colombian pop star’s true talent.

 

But biting into frozen fruit and chugging a watered-down cup of orange juice – if you’re still breathing-while being holed up in a hospital are viable options compared to stomaching “Shakira”, the singer’s 1oth album and follow up to 2010’s “Sale el Sol”.

 

There is little not to like about Shakira, a reasonably-grounded and accessible star always willing to explore new avenues. But perhaps we expected more at this point from an artist with such an established resume, and not just a flat, commercially-inflated album lacking in originality.

 

Such is the case with the drunken “Dare”, an electro-dance track that is more synchronized and slurred than daring, and “Can’t Remember To Forget You” , another collaboration lacking any kind of freshness, although it might rekindle your love for 80’s Police music.  

 

The misplaced piano tinkling leading into booming beats do nothing to build up “Empire” while putting Shakira in an uncomfortable predicament and distancing her further away from the sound and creativeness that led to her rise in the mid-90’s in exchange for selling out to music executives itching for a mainstream chartbuster.

 

It’s been a while since we’ve heard Shakira delight with the short bursts cries and high-pitched lyrics, both part of her widespread appeal throughout a three-decade career. And her latest effort does nothing to bring her back where she belongs.

 

 

Read More

Fernandez makes beautiful confessions in Confidencias

By Fernie Ruano Jr.

If Alejandro Fernandez were a super hero he would undoubtedly possess the dual powers in his arsenal to cut through the hearts of millions, not to mention transition easily from melodic charmer to mariachi macho, a trait which has signified his 25-year career.

Put him in a recording studio for the first time in four years – to record a compilation of ballads from "Te Quiero, Te Quiero” to “A Pesar De Todo” – and the pop/ranchera star not only doesn’t miss a beat, but breathes new life into some of Latin music’s most revered classics with Confidencias , his most recent album,which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albumschart one week after its release.

                                                          Alejandro Fernandez scores big with "Confidencias".

Reaching into the vault to pull out the esteemed work of yesteryear’s legends, in this case Roberto Carlos, Julio Iglesias and Miguel Gallardo, has become an exhausted exercise utilized by artists short on enough original compositions and plagued by the shortage of rising songwriters, to merit a recording of all-new material.

But leave it to Fernandez to score with his interchangeable voice over an array of musical arrangements, including rheumatic jazzy beats in “Concavo y Convexo” and timely saxophone interludes in “A Pesar De Todo”, giving the 11-track, Blues and Jazz/Brazilian fused-album, which includes high-profile duets, including “Hoy Tengo Ganas De Ti” with Christina Aguilera, a fresh feel where so many like it have fallen flat in recent years.

At 43, Fernandez, long a fixture in two of the most distinct music genres in all of Latin music, proves his versatility – as if there was any question – lending a soft, yet melody-driven feel to “Por Que Te Vas”, a beautiful touch over the introductory violins and groovy lyrics. Do you have an affliction for Samba? Fernandez brings it out of you – even if you don’t – by carrying the Brazilian-influenced “Desahogo”.

But it’s the duets, starting with the collaboration with the equally-gifted Aguilera, which set Confidencias apart.

Bringing to life Gallardo’s mid-70’s chartbuster, Fernandez and Aguilera blend their voices, while respectively taking them to unreachable depths, all the while never losing the delicacy of such a tender and moving ballad, delivering a commercially successful lead single, radio-friendly hit.

As if that wasn’t enough to carry the entire album, Fernandez turns in an emotive and delicate version of “Me Olvide De Vivir”, alongside his father Vicente Fernandez, and a bilingual score of “Nobody Knows You’re Down and Out”, an upbeat, jazzy track aided by the participation of Rod Stewart.

Without question, the start-to-finish musical arrangements and the voice of one of this generation’s true treasures give the album high marks all around.

While it maintains a mainstream element making it marketable to all of his supporters, whether you love him for his pop melodies, rancheras or vocal potency, it’s no surprise Fernandez has come to the rescue - again.

And by now, it doesn’t matter what suit he’s wearing.

 

Read More