Juanes Breaks Records and Breaks Rules with the Ground Breaking Un Dia Normal
Written: Sep 23 '03
Product Rating:
Pros: An innovative infusion of Colombian freshness to the rock world
Cons: No cons about this one, Baby!
The Bottom Line: Un Dia Normal marks the development of an important young force in spanish language rock -- a landmark disc by a sophisticated and mature artist
I should be ashamed of myself! I've been tossing around the idea of reviewing Un Dia Normal for probably a year now, but I could never bring myself to do it. It's not that I didn't like the album -- au contraire. The reason I couldn't post was precisely because I liked it so much.
Let me explain. As you can see from the list of other reviews on this disc, an excellent review of it was posted a long time ago by vince006. Now Vince is a heck of a dude, and a rock solid rock reviewer. He panned the album. But in doing so, he also inspired me to buy both this disc and another Juanes CD -- Fijate Bien. I was curious to hear the albums, especially since at that time I'd had sort of an unjustified stereotype of Juanes as being just another Colombian, pretty boy, flash in the pan. Fortunately, I was wrong about Juanes, and I think Vince is just as wrong about this CD.
I can see where he's coming from though.
If you've been into Juanes for a long time, and you really liked the dark, melancholy malcontent sound that marked Fijate Bien, then yes, Un Dia Normal could be seen as selling out because it carries a noticeably different tone and message -- one that's more upbeat. Call it selling out if you want, I call it growing up. In my opinion, Un Dia Normal marks a point of maturation in Juanes' career. It's like sampling a fine red wine -- you're entitled to like its rough, exuberant edges while it's young and raw, but it's really with the mellower maturity of time that it becomes refined and truly realizes it's full potential.
What really woke me up to the fact that I need to review this disc no matter what other epinionators I butt heads with, was the overwhelming sense of bigness that I got from Juanes when watching the Latin Grammies a week or so ago. Naturally, Juanes cleaned up, garnering himself an armload of little gilded plastic cups to sit on his shelf -- including the top dog award for album of the year. I really should have woken up earlier though. If not from simply having more confidence in my own tastes and inclinations than at least from noticing that this album has been one of the top 10 selling latin discs for over a year (currently number 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Album list -- www.billboard.com -- 69 weeks on the chart) and has gone platinum more often than you've seen articles about sexy babelicious J.Lo breaking up with that hoser Ben whatever his name is.
But enough of the widi widi. Let's slide this disc into the changer and see what we've got...
Biggest, Boldest, Brightest --- Pick Three
One of the reasons I admire Juanes so much is that he's got the range and depth to cross over boundaries, with a little bit of a folk rock sound on one song (like the softer, mellower sound of Es Por Ti) as well as a harder driving, faster, more "rock" sound (like on the megahit track, A Dios Le Pido). He's not an artist who will be easily pigeon-holed into a narrow box. His sound and range remind me of U2 from the Joshua Tree era, although in interviews Juanes claimed that his influences were groups like Led Zeppelin and Metallica. I doubt Juanes will ever have a Metallica sound, but it could be a tough gunfight between him and Bono (not Sonny -- he's dead).
As I mentioned, Juanes felt pulled by inclinations towards folk music, especially the Colombian folk traditions, although the most "folksy" sounding song on this album is almost certainly Fotografia, which is a wonderfully melodic piece performed as a duet with the enormously talented Nelly Furtado, whose sweetly sensuous vocals bring a depth and credibility to this song that Juanes could never have achieved on his own. It's a reaffirmation of the principle that the whole is larger than the sum of its parts. The song works on many levels, at times reminding me of some of the great folk rock masterpieces by greats like Joni Mitchell, and at other times pulling me in with a soft refrain and a lonesome, slowly strumming acoustic guitar solo. Fotografia is slower than most songs that send me off into fits of musical ecstasy, but it's so well arranged and so flawlessly executed that I can't help but name it as my personal favorite cut off this disc.
It's kind of funny, Fotografia has what most Americans would consider a "folk" sound, but the more Colombian folk influences can be spotted in songs like La Paga -- which is a cool, almost plodding kind of sound about personal betrayal. My 2 cent gist: "Yesterday you told me you loved me, but it was a lie. You wounded my life, and the wound was deep...blah blah...lies, lies, and more stinkin' lies..."
Another song that pulls in some Colombian elements is Luna -- a fantastically fanciful flight of whimsy. Two penny translation: "Moon of all nights, lighting up the night, tell me if she's my queen, the owner of all my love." It's really kind of a light-hearted, fun, romantic song. I love the plucking sound of the mandolin solos here -- it lends a depth to a tune that I might otherwise dismiss as trivial. It also reminds me big time of the Beatles. Mostly because of the way Juanes mimicks the "ahhh....ahhh....ahhh" sound that the Fab Four used in Twist and Shout -- and here Juanes tells us he was influenced by Metallica and Led Zeppelin. Ha! We know what he was really listening to while trying to act all badass.
The biggest hit on this album, and a tune that's been burning up the airwaves for over a year, has to be A Dios Le Pido -- you literally can't go an hour listening to any latin radio station without hearing this song, and even though Fotografia suits me better, A Dios Le Pido really does deserve all the attention it gets. It's a huge song with a huge sound -- louder, faster, and just the way I like my rock. I'm sometimes put off by songs with religious overtones, but this one doesn't offend me -- mostly because it manages to sound convincing, and heartfelt, and personal. It's religious, but it's not one of those stupid holier-than-thou preachy screechy songs that you hear from those ridiculous "christian rock" groups.
A Dios Le Pido kicks off in high gear with a guitar solo that sounds like it should have been going on for a couple minutes already -- it's a cool effect that I think helps bring a fervence to the song, a certain pleading desperation that's very appropriate for a song that's essentially a prayer. A prayer should be fervent. What's the point of bothering God with trivial things that you should just get off your butt and do yourself? No, you only bother the Big Guy when you have Big Issues that are outside your control. Juanes is begging God not to take his mother, for his father's love, for a second of life, for peace in his own war-torn, corruption ridden country. The song is a wash list of such pleas, each punctuated by the line "a Dios le pido" (which I'd translate literally as "to God I ask this").
Like any album that truly deserves five stars, every track on this disc is a keeper. They're all solid, they're all unique, they're all deserving of much more discussion than I really want to get into in what's already becoming a very long review of a very praiseworthy disc. Buy me a brewski down at the pub if you want me to bend your ear a bit more about all the aural wonders of this outstanding disc.
About Juanes...
A native of Carolina del Principe Colombia, Juan Esteban Aristizabal (later shortened to just "Juanes") grew up with a guitar in his hand and American hard rock in his veins. He got his start at age 14 in Medellin when he helped form the hard rock garage band Ekhymosis, who broke up in 1998, largely because Juanes was pulled by more folk-oriented influences, which his compadres rejected.
Juanes moved to Los Angeles, where he hooked up with record producer Gustavo Santaolallo. His first solo CD, Fijate Bien, was released on the Surco label in 2000. After two years of critical acclaim, Juanes sophomore release, Un Dia Normal instantly sprang to the top of the record sales charts, where it still sits today, over a year after its release. This album is now the best selling spanish language recording of all time. Quite an accomplishment for such a young performer -- it portends even greater things to come...
Running Around the Tracks...
Twelve tracks for 42:42 total running time. Here's what you get for your musical dollar...
1. A Dios Le Pido 2. Es Por Ti 3. Un Dia Normal 4. Un Paga 5. La Unica 6. Luna 7. Dia Lejano 8. Mala Gente 9. Fotografia 10. Desde Que Despierto 11. La Historia de Juan 12. La Noche
Bottom Line...SNAG IT
This is nothing short of a watershed work by a serious artist that we're all going to hear a lot more about in the coming years. It's a work that marks the artistic maturation of an insightful, intelligent, passionate, and very talented musician. Mark my words, in five or ten years, people are going to regard this album in the same way as they regard albums like Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run -- as the album that defines the artist's very soul and persona.
You're welcome to like Fijate Bien if you want, but THIS is the better, more solid album, and it's the album that all Juanes fans are going to revere as the "one that started it all".
Until next time, see you in the music store. As always, I'll be the gringo hanging out in the Latin Music aisle. Stop by and check out some music to your ears...
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