Kabah’s second album, La Calle De Las Sirenas elevated the Mexican pop group to an international level, especially with the title track which stayed in the number one position of the Mexican pop charts for ten consecutive weeks. The group’s energy, bright colors, and poppy colors grabbed the attention of young music lovers in the US and also in Japan (oddly enough).
I was watching when Kabah made their television debut, but it really wasn’t until their second album did I really pay attention to the group. Two of the group’s biggest hits and most popular songs were created by this album. The title track and the song, “Vive,” features Maria Jose’s tremendous vocal styles and lung capacity to hold long notes. I think both Maria Jose and Sergio played a major part in the group’s initial success with lots of solos by these two who have the strongest vocals.
While the album features a combination of dance tracks and ballads, I think the ratio is really off for a group that is known for its high-energy dance numbers. But the fourth track, two of the songs were slow songs. The album starts with the title track, then quickly tones down the mood with an extremely slow ballad, “Amor Por Amor”, then comes back with another dance track, then back down to the ballads. At first glance at the album, one might not equate Kabah with one of the most complex pop groups to come out in the ’90s.
During this time, pop groups were being formed right and left. The ’90s were the era of pop groups with lots of one-hit wonders. Very few survived the 90’s and those who did are still around to this day like OV7, Jeans, and Calo. Some of the groups had successful debut and follow-up albums, and it was still in debate whether Kabah was going to fall to the fates of music obscurity. The album is far from one of the group’s best and while there are some gems within the album, overall it falls at the bottom of the list of best quality of the group’s discography.
This is looking at the group 20 years later, mind you. Back in 1996, everyone thought this album was the best out there, and maybe at the time it was. But when you evaluate the music now and know in your mind what is coming up for the group’s history, you can dig into it more and compare it with what was being released and what is to come. Kabah seemed to only get better as they evolved and changed their looks and sounds over and over to remain fresh and relevant in the music world of the ’90s.
La Calle De Las Sirenas as a whole can sit on the shelves, but definitely get the hits on a compilation.
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.
- REVIEW: Los Claxons – Caminando En Fuego (2022) - November 6, 2022
- Review: Airbag – Siempre Tropical (2022) - November 6, 2022
- Debut: Thalia – Psycho Bitch - November 6, 2022