New Music Reviews

Two big albums have just dropped, RBD's Celestial and Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape. Here are my reviews:

RBD
CELESTIAL
RELEASED: NOVEMBER 27, 2006
GRADE: A

This is probably the best Spanish-language album released for the entire year. This one greatly improves on RBD's previous album Nuestro Amor (Our Love). Their style is still intact with pop, rock, dance, and ballads mixed into one perfect album. Their inspired first single "Ser O Parecer" (To Be or To Seem) does not do justice to the other songs on the album. I suggest you check out that one along with "Tal Vez Despues" (Maybe Later), "Quiza" (Maybe), "Algun Dia" (Someday), and "Besame Sin Medio" (Kiss Me Without Fear). While all the songs are great, those are the best. I can't wait for the English-language album.


GWEN STEFANI
THE SWEET ESCAPE
RELEASESD: DECEMBER 5, 2006
GRADE: B-

This one really disappointed me. After the masterpiece that was Love.Angel.Music.Baby, I was expecting Gwen to follow similar footsteps on her second solo album and include a lot of the same 80s inspired dance songs. Unfortunately, that is not the case with The Sweet Escape. Instead, Gwen has opted for including more urban inspired songs, which is not a strong point of hers. Yes, "Hollaback Girl" was a huge hit but why must every other song on the new album be some sort of variation of the same formula? Where are the fun songs like on the last album (i.e. "What You Waiting For," "Danger Zone," "Serious," etc)? "Wind It Up" is decent but not worth being a lead single. The high points are "Don't Get It Twisted" and "The Sweet Escape."