After his initial burst on the scene at the turn of the century, success seems to have slowed down Spanish singer/songwriter
Alex Ubago
. Three years after 2006's
Aviones de Cristal
(as well as a 2007 greatest-hits package) comes his fourth studio album,
Calle Ilusion
. Recorded in Buenos Aires under the direction of Argentine
Cachorro Lopez
-- by now probably considered the king of Latin pop --
is as competent and polished an album of confessional pop as you would expect from the artists involved. For the same reason, it is equally sure to please fans of the soft-spoken
Ubago
, as it delivers a new dozen songs that, predictably, deal mostly with love and relationships. With a few exceptions (
"No Estes Sola,"
"Como si Fuera el Ultimo"
), however,
avoids the pitfalls of many of his peers as he steers away from becoming too preachy or too whiny. He even manages to concoct a convincing reggae-pop song in the title track, the album's highlight together with the single
"Amarrado a Ti"
and the ballad
"20 Horas de Nada."
offers a few surprises as it winds up, including a cover of
Andres Calamaro
's
"Mil Horas"
and a Spanish/English duet with
Craig David
on
"Walking Away."
Both are affable enough, as the entire album is, but one cannot help but realize that, if these two artists are what
is aiming for as a songwriter and singer, he still has some way to go. Six months after the original release, a second edition of
added three bonus tracks: two more covers (
Mecano
and
Juan Gabriel
) and a duet with
the Corrs
'
Sharon Corr
on a new version of
"Amarrado a Ti."
~ Mariano Prunes