As profound an art as music can be, it's still nice to have some happy pop around to get the blood flowing. Full of fabulous 80's style dance tracks, Nek's self-titled album is a veritable fair of overflowing goodies that leave one wanting to bounce up and down. ;)

Born in Sassuolo, this Italian made his splash singing Spanish pop hits to the Latin mainstream. Don’t get me wrong, he’s big in his native language as well, but Nek has one of those soft, slightly raspy voices that gives that luscious edge to any pop hit. Thus, he is a HUGE star in the Spanish language world. Of course, in the world of Latin music, image is often more important than talent. Nek scores that in spades as well, with a pretty boy face surrounded in a dark mane that makes his baby blues pop. His lisping Castilian Spanish belts out each song with great passion on what may be his best album. Composed of 11 tracks, I give 9 of them a solid 5 stars.

Probably the biggest radio hit from the album and maybe even his biggest hit of all time, “Laura no esta” starts with a flashy, synth-pop intro that bubbles up into dance floor gold. Ah, the irony of Spanish music, full of celebration, this song is actually a man singing to one woman about how she cannot replace the love of his life, Laura. While he may take solace in this woman’s love (read: have sex with her), in the morning he’ll be gone because she cannot evoke in him the passion that Laura did. Yes, when you get into the realm of Spanish rock, you’ll find there are a lot of happy-sounding golden hits that are really just a backhanded slap across the face. But, seriously, doesn’t that make it all the more delicious? Instead of cotton candy fluff, there’s some substance when you bite in.

Starting softly but quickly shifting gears, “Tu nombre” is one of those passionate pop hits that cause one to run through the house, flinging arms wide in passion and beating on one’s chest with sincerity. It is a straightforward song about infatuated love. “In my heart your name is written in BIG LETTERS!” Can you get more simple than that? :)

A nice contrast and follow up to the preceding two dance tracks, “Esperame” is a sultry number for slithering into the arms of another. Nek’s words snake out, “Wait for me, a little while longer.” This is a song of seduction, commanding the listener, “Forget the hours. Leave time behind. Here and now.” It also ends with a nice little guitar solo reminiscent of the great power ballads.

“Tu estas aqui” is a solid ballad. I confess, I normally downgrade ballads. What can I say, I’m not much of a romantic and I prefer to bounce around my house in my underwear singing happy songs. Hey, “Risky Business” struck a chord for a reason, people, and I don’t think it was because Tom Cruise was in tighty-whities. ;-p Still, this is a worthy romantic ballad. It opens with Nek’s bare voice and an acoustic guitar and completes an entire verse before ramping up. “Tu estas aqui” is a song that is naked – literally discussing nudity - and sincere. Nek sings about that moment where one person lays awake early in the morning after having made love, wondering what the other person is dreaming. (And, yes, there is bouncing potential!) :-p

A great follow up, “Tu” brings us right back to the disco. Nek belts out, “You have laid my heart bare and there’s no going back.” Unfortunately, it leads into a rather *adequate* track. “Dime porque” teases with a promising guitar riff, but then it just never goes anywhere from there. Instead, it seems to strain, just at the edge of finding something great; something more. Thank goodness it leads into one of my all time faves, “Como vivir sin ti.” A nice strong guitar and drum set pump up this song into full bounce mode. Yup, better get out the hairbrush for this one! I expect you to be dancing in full underweared glory with the bristles facing outward while you belt into the *mic*. ;)

Then comes “Nada como vivir!” As much as the song title screams John Cougar Mellencamp, so do the opening guitar riffs. Fortunately for me, Nek’s voice has a much richer quality. (Sorry JCM fans. Never did like his voice!) Then the songs ramps into full glory with tambourine and all. But we’re just getting started because “Nada como vivir” rolls into “Queda mucho mas.” To my delight, it opens with an old The The (ala "Gravitate to Me") flavored harmonica that leads into full pop rock glory. The downside? It’s followed by the worst track on the album. I hate to even hit forward long enough to listen and detail it.

Slow, lilting and downright aburrido (boring), “Seguimos juntos” literally makes me yawn throughout and I just want to turn off the music and crawl into bed. Not even Nek’s delicious rolling R’s can save this one. I suppose it’s not *that* bad, but I can guarantee that I don’t put it in my playlist long enough to reaffirm that statement. In fact, because he ends the song on a strained high note and makes me so miserable, this bad boy just gets the worst rating for his effort. Still, the album wraps up with a fabulous radio version of “Laura no esta” and, like with any good story, all ends well.

Okay, so it’s fluffy pop. Please tell me what’s wrong with that? It feels good, it sounds even better and we all need a break from genius to just enjoy life. I may love Trent Reznor, but my teenage angst is long behind me and that fluff is more life affirming than ever. Best yet, one can actually play Nek around the kidlets.

So, find your rainbow of joy and come for one of the best rides one can get. Hey, can you really beat an 11-track album with nine 5-star, feel-good songs???

My individual track ratings (* to *****):

1. Laura no esta [Laura is gone] *****
2. tu nombre [Your name] *****
3. esperame [Wait for me] *****
4. tu estas aqui [You are here] *****
5. tu [You] *****
6. dime porque [Tell me why] ***
7. como vivir sin ti [How do I live without you] *****
8. nada como vivir [Nothing like life] *****
9. queda mucho mas [A lot remains] *****
10. seguimos juntos [We stay together] *
11. Laura no esta (radio vocal version) *****

---------Check out my other CD reviews---------------

http://www.epinions.com/content_412044332676
http://www.epinions.com/content_410826215044
http://www.epinions.com/content_415198383748
http://www.epinions.com/content_415205920388
http://www.epinions.com/content_411960381060
http://www.epinions.com/content_412017528452
http://www.epinions.com/content_411525877380


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out