When I think of Mexico's top male vocalists, there are a lot of names that spring to mind, but the one performer who really stands out as a truly great talent as well as a man of integrity and devotion to the music industry is Joan Sebastian. Sebastian is an incredible talent -- a vocalist blessed with a clear, bright voice with not just an enormous harmonic range but that can convey a depth of passion and feeling that few vocalists in the world ever approach. When Sebastian sings his signature ballads of love and devotion, there's not a woman in the crowd with a dry eye!

Joan Sebastian En Vivo Desde la Plaza el Progreso de Guadalajara is Sebastian's most recent live CD, and it's a real smorgasbord of musical delights for anyone who loves modern Mexican soft pop. This CD is packed full of some of Sebastian's biggest hits, including the mega-hit Secreto de Amor. This is also one of the best live CDs I've listened to in a very long time. Almost every tune has a little twist or embellishment that makes it stand out as very distinct from the studio versions. But enough widi-widi, let's slide this baby into the CD changer and see what the fuss is about...

Highlights of ...En Vivo...
I've heard so many singers do cover versions of Hasta Que Amanezca that it's sometimes easy to forget that the real master of this powerhouse sing-along tune is Joan Sebastian. I love the way this song works in a live setting -- you can just positively feel the energy of the crowd as Sebastian works the audience into a singing frenzy as they hang on his every note.

What I love most about Hasta Que Amanezca is its strong traditional sound that's infused with faster pop beats to create a song with an unmistakably Mexican signature, yet one that younger modern audiences can identify with. I've always loved this song, and hearing it from the master himself in a live setting is one of the greatest treats this CD offers. I could just set the CD player in infinite repeat for this tune...

Young female audiences probably identify most with the Sebastian's hugely successful Secreto de Amor which deserved its popularity in its own right -- never mind that it was the theme song of popular telenovela (soap opera) series by the same name. It seems to me that any artist who is ever invited to record a telenovela theme song in Mexico should jump at the chance since it always seem to guarantee record sales in the millions (worked for Joan Sebastian, worked for OV7, worked for Thalia, worked for just about everyone else too!)

Veinticinco Rosas is the perfect showcase for Sebastian's amazing vocal depths and he conveys feeling and passion in every word of this sweet song. This is a real heart-tugger tune that kind of works in the same way as that 1970's hit Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree by Tony Orlando and Dawn used to do. Did you ever know a person who didn't feel a little heart tug at that tune? Nope, me neither, and I don't know anybody who doesn't feel the exact same emotional pull when they hear the soft, loving lyrics of Veinticinco Rosas.

Tatuajes is a perfect example of how to make a horn section work for you to get the audience up and moving right from the first note. It was a huge hit for Sebastian, but I think the opening riffs are the strongest feature of the tune, which has a lot of really slow passages. In the hands of a lesser songwriter, I'd tune out this tune, but with Sebastian's masterful fusion of fast and slow and the occasional brass solos, he's got a piece that even holds the interest of a guy like me who is not usually particularly enamored of slow ballads.

Makin' Tracks...
Packed with over 54 minutes of music, this is a great CD for anyone who loves modern Mexican soft pop. Here's what you'll find on it:

1. Juliantla
2. Sembrador de Amor - Manantial
3. Contigo o Sin Ti
4. Hasta Que Amanezca - Esa Noche
5. Veinticinco Rosas
6. Tatuajes
7. Gracias por Tanto Amor
8. El Toro
9. Cincuenta Anos
10. El Primer Tonto
11. Un Idiota
12. Secreto de Amor
13. Aunque Me Duela el Alma
14. Como Tu Decidas
15. Recuerdame Bonito

Love Them Liner Notes!
I've always been a guy who loves reading good liner notes, and I think the ones with this CD are just top-notch. They don't have any lyrics, but what they do have is a great insight to the man and his music -- can you believe that he was already penning song lyrics at age 8??!? Now that's what I call a precocious child!

About Joan Sebastian
I was sitting in a hotel room in Mexico City last weekend and was doing a little channel surfing late at night when I hit on a show about Joan Sebastian, who has evidently been trying to keep a low media profile lately. Sebastian was diagnosed with cancer, and to see him today just breaks my heart -- he's lost so much weight and his face conveys the pain of a man confronting his own mortality. It hurts to see anyone suffering, but cancer upsets me most when I see it affect someone with enormous energy and vitality and a zest for living -- people like Joan Sebastian.

Sebastian really isn't that old for a man who has accomplished so much in the musical world. He's only about 50 years old and he's always had a rugged handsomeness about him that makes the women swoon, never mind the softly expressive passion that he always packs into every soft ballad. Whenever I see Sebastian I can't help but think how remarkably similar he looks to Burt Reynolds, or maybe even to the charismatic president, Vicente Fox.

One of the things I most admire about Joan Sebastian is that he's not just a great vocalist, he's also arguably the greatest songwriter in Mexico today. He pens almost all his own material -- not to mention songs for many of Mexico's top pop artists, from Rocio Durcal and Vicente Fernandez to Thalia. He's also produced CDs for a wide range of artists and has been a mentor and muse for many young talents (although I don't always care for the way he molds some talents -- especially the way he seemed to change the sound of Graciela Beltran on her Robame Un Beso CD, but that's a personal nit and an argument that I'll save up for cantina chatter with Sebastian fans).

Anyway, Sebastian writes his own material, though lately I can't always tell what he is writing and what his son, Jose Manuel Figuera (also Sebastian's real name), is writing. Sebastian's son is a huge talent in his own right and at some point I hope to review a few of his CDs (stay tuned).

Leavin' It In the Changer!
No surprises here, folks! I absolutely love this CD. I think it showcases Joan Sebastian at his very best with rock-solid live versions of almost all his recent hits. If you're into soft pop and you'd like to hear one of the top vocalists out of Mexico, then I recommend this CD without reservations. It's rock-solid and 100% Sebastian. That's a good thing...a very, very good thing. Give it a listen and find out why he's the guy that latin music's top talents listen to and why his songs get covered by the big names.

By the way, this CD is really on the Musart label.

Til next time, see you in the TV room, I'll be channel surfing the latin music videos...



Recommended: Yes

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