While it isn’t enough to make listeners as crazy about him as they were in 2003, Enrique Iglesias is still keeping the music alive with his new album “Euphoria.”
The album includes a Top 40 radio hit and a slew of featured artists.
I’d be lying if I said I could understand all the Spanish lyrics, but hey, if it sounds good, then the lyrics are probably somewhat well-written, too.
Iglesias gets things going with “Cuando Me Enamoro (When I Fall In Love),” a smooth love song with a lot of soft percussion. Juan Luis Guerra lends his more mature vocals to the track, giving the song a more serious sound.
Wisin and Yandel sing with Enrique on “No Me Digas Que No (Don’t Say No to Me),” an upbeat song with a loving touch. Songs by reggaeton duo Wisin and Yandel are occasionally filthy, so it’s a pleasant change of pace to hear them grow up for five minutes.
Enrique tries to seduce the ladies with the slow jam “Ayer (Yesterday),” a gentle ballad that makes for pretty background music at a candlelight dinner.
He keeps the mood light with “Dile Que (Tell Her),” a song about his longing for a girl he can’t have.
Get ready for the dance hit of the season, because Enrique and Pitbull are bringing it in with “I Like It,” one of this summer’s surefire club bangers. It’s so irresistibly catchy that if you didn’t like Enrique already, he will have become a guilty pleasure by the end of the song.
Iglesias welcomes Akon for “One Day at a Time,” a pop reggae tune throughout which the guys struggle to let a girl go and try to forget about her after they broke up. The only reason the album is still getting increasingly better at this point is simply because even though I love Latin music, I’m really glad I don’t have to struggle to translate this part of the album.
“Heartbeat” starts off with a great slow piano riff and vocals by Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. Iglesias helps her shine and shows off how talented she is without the rest of her crummy pop group. “Heartbeat” has an unusual quiet pop tone, but the duo makes it work.
Usher brings in the sexiness on “Dirty Dancer.” Enrique has finally left the seduction up to the woman on this track. The lyrics are cheesy, but any listener would be lying if they said it wasn’t a catchy song.
It’s a shame that the best guitar licks of the album are pushed to the background on “Tú Y Yo (You and I),” which is basically just another song that’s starting to sound like most of the others.
Iglesias finally delivers on his solo upgraded version of “No Me Digas Que No” with that classic Enrique/Latin feel listeners have been waiting for through the entire album. I guess sometimes it pays to save the best for last.
Maybe Enrique’s music isn’t hot enough to make him anyone’s musical “Hero” anymore, but that’s all right. He gave it another good try.
Reach Lenni at lenni.rosenblum@asu.edu.
