Escucha Review

07/13/2005 7:21 AM, AMG


Laura Pausini is a rarity: an Italian pop singer who has recorded in Spanish extensively and is a star in both Italy and the Spanish-speaking world. In 2004, Pausini acknowledged both audiences when she recorded Escucha and Resta in Ascolto, which are essentially two versions of the same album; they contain the same 11 songs in the same order, but Escucha is in Spanish while Resta in Ascolto is in Italian. And if one plays them side by side, it is clear that Pausini sings as convincingly en español as she does en italiano. Spanish speakers will notice that Pausini, like a lot of Europeans, has learned to speak Spanish the castellano way; she pronounces certain words in a way that is unique to Spain and isn't heard in Latin America. For those who learned a more Latin American variety of Spanish, castellano sounds very posh in much the same way that a London accent sounds posh to an American -- not any better or worse, but definitely posh. And that poshness serves Pausini well on a romantic, ballad-friendly disc like Escucha, which is essentially adult contemporary in Spanish. Pausini isn't the most challenging singer in the world, but from an adult contemporary standpoint, she's undeniably good at what she does -- and the influence of Celine Dion and Phil Collins is evident on lush easy listening items like "Tu Nombre en Mayúsculas," "Me Abandono a Ti," and the dreamy "Viveme" (the theme song from La Madrastra, a Mexican telenovela that ran on the Univision network in the United States). Escucha and its Italian counterpart are equally enjoyable, although Escucha will obviously have the greater commercial advantage in the Spanish-speaking market. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide