All That I Want

Yohany

Liquid 8 Records, 2004

REVIEW BY: Vish Iyer

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/13/2005

Gloria Estefan, as far as I know, was one of the first artists to fuse pop music with Latin grooves. Her formula has worked well for her, as well as for the whole pop industry, which has ever since been teeming with Latino/Latina singers following in her footsteps.

The latest trend in the amalgamation of pop and Latin music is the infusion of R&B and hip-hop elements into it, a la Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez. Yohany follows this current style in Latin-pop on her album my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 All That I Want.

Yohany, much like Lopez, is hot. Much like Lopez, she doesn't have a breathtaking voice, and much like Lopez, she doesn't write the songs - well, most of them - on her album. But, much like most of the pop albums that are created these days - and much like Lopez's albums - All That I Want is filled with catchy and singable numbers.

All That I Want has all the elements you would expect to find on a modern Latin-pop album. The album has at least one song that is sung partly in Spanish. It has a couple of songs featuring a rapper. There are ballads, and there are hip-hop numbers, and there are lyrics that sing "Making love is more than just physical touch," and "You cannot have my number."

So, All That I Want is indeed quintessential Latin-pop. But, there is an exceptional aspect to this record, and that is that it possesses major influences of early/mid-nineties pop music.

Reminisces of Vanessa Williams and Mariah Carey are evoked on the ballads "All That I Want," "Making Love," and "Lost You Forever." This retro spin to the music is refreshing, and adds a nostalgic tinge to it.

Although artists like Madonna, Seal and many others have changed the way pop records are looked at, and brought this music the kind of seriousness and meaning generally associated with rock records, most of their competition simply seek to make albums that provide a pleasant and appealing background for listeners who don't want to put too much thought into the music they are listening to. Yohany, with her very fine record All That I Want, positions herself among the latter group of musicians.

Rating: B-

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© 2005 Vish Iyer and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Liquid 8 Records, and is used for informational purposes only.