Benny Ibarra didn’t go solo directly after he left Timbiriche in 1985. His first album wasn’t released until 1992. That is seven years to perfect his style, sound, and image. What fans got was a very tall and lanky, and a bit goofy, singer-songwriter-musician. Benny excelled at beautiful romantic ballads with songs like “Tonto Corazon”, “Sin Ti”, and “Mia”. He also had his style of dark pop music that wasn’t something that would make you dance. Songs like “Mas De Ti” and “Todo O Nada” leaned toward the rock end of pop.
All those songs don’t need to be reviewed here. Greatest hits albums are something that usually doesn’t need to be reviewed unless you: 1) want to show off the album because you have it. 2) There is new music that needs to be discussed. We are going to take reason number two because this album isn’t just about Benny’s greatest hits. There are five never-before-released tracks featured at the end of the album. The album also includes a second disc. A DVD is included with nine of Benny’s videos.
After four albums, Benny Ibarra Grandes Exitos CD with extras is released
The first new song is “Unico.” This is a new version of the song that was originally released on his 2001 album, Todo O Nada. Comparing the two, I would say that the original is a better version than the remake. Next up, “Irremediable” is the theme song from the movie, “La Habitacion Azul” from that year. The movie won many awards, so having Benny’s music in the film is quite an achievement. “La Otra” is another theme song from a soap opera of the same name. The song is a duet with the ex-Timbiriche member, Edith Marquez. The next two tracks to finish off the new music are live versions of “Fuego” and “Estoy.”
At the time, Benny was surely on a roll with good music. He had hit after hit and this album is a great representation of the best of Benny’s work. If you want to give Benny a try, this might be a great place to start. It has the best from these first four albums, though I will say that there are better tracks that didn’t make the “best of” cut. Benny Ibarra Grandes Exitos is a great addition to a Latin pop collection.
You can follow Benny on Twitter as he has plans to release new music soon, as his tour with “Sasha Benny Erik” is over. @bennyibarra
Since that day, I have been study Latin pop and rock music and have become a Latin pop music historian through the publishing of articles, fanzine, and websites. My goal is to teach people about Latin pop music and the history behind it with my website, Siempre En Domingo.
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