En Total Plenitud

Album review

You have to admire Marco Antonio Solís' prolific nature. He cranks out one enjoyable album after another; he does much of his own songwriting and producing, and even though Solís' albums can be predictable, they are usually solid. On top of that, Solís' résumé includes not only his own catalog, but also, his work with other Latin pop stars (such as the late Rocío Dúrcal). Solís' own catalog, however, is the thing he is best known for as a solo artist, and En Total Plenitud finds a 50-year-old Solís making yet another pleasing addition to that sizable catalog. This October 2010 release is a very hands-on effort from Solís, who wrote all ten of the songs himself and produced the album. Solís, true to form, maintains a romantic focus, which is not to say that En Total Plenitud offers ballads exclusively. It's true that ballads dominate the 43-minute CD; "Cuantos Días Sin Ti" ("How Many Days Without You"), "A Dónde Vamos a Parar?," ("Where Are We Going to Stop?"), "Para Vivir Sin Ti" ("To Live Without You"), "Deséame Suerte" ("Wish Me Luck"), "De Regreso a Casa" ("To Return Home"), and the melancholy "Te Me Olvidaste" ("You Forgot Me") all fall into the ballad category. But Solís increases the tempo on the cumbia-flavored "Tú Me Vuelves Loco" ("You Drive Me Crazy") and the country-tinged "Él Nunca Te Olvida" ("He Never Forgets You"), and even then, a romantic ambiance prevails, which is to be expected. Solís, after all, has long reigned supreme as one of the estrellas mas grandes (biggest stars) on the adult contemporary side of Latin pop. And even though he doesn't stray from his artistic comfort zone on En Total Plenitud -- even though he plays it safer than he needs to -- the songs never fail to be likable. This is a disc that falls short of essential but will nonetheless please Solís' humungous fan base.

© Alex Henderson /TiVo