REVIEW: Flans – Primera Fila (2014)

Flans used social media to gear up their fans for their official reunion though they had been touring off and on together for the last few years without new material. They totally hyped this and well, it got me hyped so much that I had to figure out how to get it when it came out since it was not released in the US, at least not for a while. I purchased the CD from a Mexican seller on eBay to get my copy and I have to say it was well worth any jump in price I had to pay. Flans is and will always be a favorite of mine.

The CD/DVD combo contains 19 songs, 4 of which were brand new songs that were written for the Primera Fila. The first single “Yo No Seria Yo” was released on iTunes for the digital release as a teaser for the album. It’s a great song that showcases the girls as the mature adults that they have become but the sound is typical Flans. If you loved Flans in the ’80s, you will love the new music of Flans (or Ilse+Ivonne+Mimi) in the 10’s. Of course, you have all the favorites you grew up with as filler to the new music. The only song that they changed up a bit was Alma Gemela, which is a little slower and mellow from the original.

I watched the DVD before actually listening to the album, so I had a visual while listening. At first, when the concert started, I originally thought that they were not going to be as good because the first song “Me Gusta Ser Sonrisa” had Mimi’s microphone so loud that she overpowered the other girls. Why this could have been the problem,  I truly believe that Mimi’s voice has changed quite a bit. It is a bit deeper and seems a little forced to get out some of the higher notes that she used to be able to get out with ease. It seems to clear up by the 4th song and they seemed to harmonize a lot better making the concert enjoyable.

If you ever watched Flans perform on any TV show or concert, you know how crazy these girls could be…jumping up and down, joking with each other, etc… Even though we are dealing with women who are 20+ years older, they make no attempt to change the characteristics that we feel in love with. They joked around while another sang, bounced all over the place, hell… Ilse dove into the audience hoping her fans would catch her and they did.

If you want a great blast to the past, this CD/DVD is a great way to do it. I really hope that we can see more of Flans or whatever they want to call themselves in the future, cos the new music is just as good as the older classic tunes.