Suavemente

1	Suavemente 4:27
2	Nuestra Canción 3:29
3	Luna Llena 4:25
4	Me Arrepiento 3:46
5	Princesita 4:48
6	Tu SonRisa 4:33
7	Yo Me Moriré 3:32
8	Llorando 3:56
9	Por Qué? 4:24
10	Te Vas 4:18

Barnes & Noble

This diminutive Puerto Rican singer joined the Latin music firmament with one of the biggest selling merengue albums of all time, 1998's inescapable Suavemente. Boasting a title track so durable that Crespo's recorded it at least a dozen times over with slight variations, Suavemente carved a new niche in the highly formulaic world of merengue with a new formula. Slowing down the music's breakneck beat to better accommodate the undulating piano montunos that carry the songs' irresistible melodies, then jacking up the low end to showcase the Bootsy Collins-style bass lines, Crespo's producers capitalize on the urban popularity of merengue, delivering a sound equally at home alongside current hip-hop and R&B as it is next to salsa. The result became the first merengue album to go gold in nearly a decade, back when the urbane Juan Luis Guerra was synonymous with the D.R.'s music. For his part, Crespo, a onetime vocalist for Grupo Mania, is more enamored of Air Supply and other questionable pop outfits. With his keening voice and androgynous elfin looks, Crespo speaks volumes about gender roles in Latin music. But his perfect single "Suavemente" speaks louder still - to the hips. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

Elvis Crespo's Suavemente is a wonderfully seductive collection of romantic Latin ballads highlighted by "Nuestra Cancion," "Me Arrepiento," "Tu Sonrisa," "Yo Me Morire," "Llorando," "¿Porque?," "Te Vas" and the title track. [The CD was also released with a bonus track.] Terry Jenkins