Amor y suerte: Exitos románticos [CD & DVD]

1	Con los años que me quedan
2	Como me duele perderte
3	Tu fotografia
4	En el jardin / Alejandro Fernández
5	No pretendo
6	Hablas de mi
7	Mi buen amor
8	Por amor / Jon Secada
9	Mientras tanto
10	Por un beso
11	Hoy
12	Tengo que decirte algo
13	Ay, ay, ay amor

Barnes & Noble

Now that she's sworn off touring, Gloria Estéfan gives fans a new compilation of her most romantic ballads, backed with a DVD including four videos and live performances. From her initial high-energy hits with the Miami Sound Machine, Estéfan's voice has never exactly been her strong suit -- it's the whole singing-and-dancing package, not to mention the vanguard production skills of her husband, Emilio, that made her into the star she is. And indeed on tracks such as "Tu Fotografia," the Spanish version of a track from her English-language Unwrapped, she strains perceptibly. But that's not the norm here -- especially on lush boleros such as "Con los años que me quedan" and her duet with Alejandro Fernández, "En el jardín," Gloria is able to perfectly convey an updated, pop-style Latin croon. There's a pleasing variety, from the aforementioned Cuban numbers to "No pretendo," with its galloping, Andean cadence, and the orchestral melancholy of her duet with Jon Secada, "Por amor." Fans who presumably will no longer get the chance to see their heroine in concert may content themselves with two live videos, the salsa track "Hoy," recorded for Sesiones@AOL, and a live-in-Vegas rendition of as "Con los años que me quedan." Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

Amor y Suerte: Exitos Romanticos rounds up a baker's dozen of Gloria Estefan's most romantic Spanish-language songs, including numerous really great ones. For the most part, this is a collection of previously released songs, and most of them are glossy adult contemporary ballads (perhaps too glossy, at times, for those who favor her dance music); however, Sony Discos has included one new song, "Ay, Ay, Ay Amor," and it closes the collection with bombast, unleashing a tidal wave of extravagant, feverish salsa following its hushed first minute. This new song ends this fine collection in grand fashion, breathing some fire into this otherwise subdued collection of well-mannered love songs and leaving you short of breath. In general, the best songs here are the ones that open the collection: "Con los Años Que Me Quedan," "Como Me Duele Perderte," and "Tu Fotografía." Another highlight is "Hoy" (the Spanish version of "Wrapped," from Unwrapped [2003]), a light yet lively song with a great chorus you'll surely want to sing along to -- whether you're a Spanish speaker or not. This song comes late in the album and sets the stage for "Tengo Que Decirte Algo," which is a duet with José Feliciano, before closing with the aforementioned "Ay, Ay, Ay Amor." Though Amor y Suerte is a compilation, it plays like an album. Each song shares a similarly glossy production -- a very clean, nuanced production style heavy on studio craft, especially overdubbing -- so all the songs sound like they were recorded at the same session by the same personnel. This no doubt helps Amor y Suerte flow from beginning to end, as does the unified theme of romance in its many forms. If you already own most of Estefan's Spanish-language albums -- Mi Tierra (1993), Abriendo Puertas (1995), Alma Caribeña (2000) -- you probably won't need to pick up this collection. But if you're a casual fan, either of her music or of Latin pop in general, this might be a good release to pick up. Compiling many of Estefan's best latter-day songs, Amor y Suerte is heavy on highlights and light on filler, making it one of the best listening experiences in her catalog, especially if you favor her more romantic songs sung in Spanish. Moreover, the release comes with a bonus DVD that features four songs: a salsa version of "Hoy" from Sesiones@AOL, the video for "Tu Fotografía," a concert performance of "Por un Beso," and the performance of "Con los Años Que Me Quedan" found on her Live and Unwrapped DVD. Jason Birchmeier