| Vincente Fernandez - Para Siempre |
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The king of ranchero music’s album cover isn’t the best portrayal of the great work you’ll find inside this 12-track disc, with songs written by Joan Sebastian for the Don Chente. From the tragic "La Derrota," the optimistic "Niña Hechicera" (with more of a pop arrangement), and, of course, the memorable "Para Siempre," the theme song from the Mexican soap Fuego en la Sangre, Fernández sings with such conviction that it’s hard not to consider this one of his best albums yet. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español) Vicente Fernandez has earned his title as the "King of Ranchera" by focusing his formidable voice and charismatic personality on one genre for over 4 decades. He's averaged a couple of albums per year and the subsequent massive discography contains a steady supply of music that ranges from good to great. Joan Sebastian is not really much of a performer, but his songs and songwriting ability have earned him earned him 3 Grammy awards, 5 Latin Grammies and the informal title of the "People's Poet". Para Siempre (Forever) benefits from the best of both artists. Sebastian's melodies are on the light side, avoiding the sometimes overly dramatic ranchera stereotype while his lyrics are - well, lyrical. Frequently relying on metaphor and allegory, Sebastian paints word pictures of love lost and gained, returned and unrequited. These 12 compositions inform the performance. On Para Siempre, Fernandez reins in that big voice and gives an understated performance, focusing on subtlety and nuance, resonating with emotion and mirroring the poetry of the songs. The result is effective and is sure to warm the hearts of fans of both these great talents.
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