The debut album of La Oreja De Van Gogh didn’t hit my collection until after the third album made airplay and songs like “Rosas” (Roses) were playing on the radio every twenty minutes. That album was my first then a friend introduced me to the earlier albums; I was impressed.
Dile Al Sol (Tell The Sun) is a combination of straight-up pop with a hint of rock to it. This group could have done well as a rock group if they had gone that direction from the beginning. The voice of Amaia Montero could be sweet but then turn downright angry…she is so versatile.
The album starts off with “El 28″ (The 28) which starts as an acoustic guitar solo, but then slowly the other instruments are added until you have a great bouncy chorus. The album progresses to a slower upbeat ballad, but then from there, the group’s best song on the album shows up.
“Pesadilla” (Nightmare) is a harder upbeat pop song, whose chorus reaches the edges of rock. This is the first Spanish-language song that my girlfriend learned all the words to. While she doesn’t understand the words; she can say them perfectly. Amaia makes it easy for non-Spanish speakers to follow along because her diction is very well pronounced without sounding like she is doing it on purpose.
“La Estrella Y La Luna” (The Star and The Moon) is another song that became a favorite. It starts almost like an island-type song, but the chorus pumps up the rock side of the group, then brings it back down. It is like listening to two very different songs but the growth to the harder song is so smooth.
All 12 songs on the album are very catchy and are perfect for a road trip or long car ride because they are so much fun to sing with. La Oreja started strong with their debut album and continued with some super follow-up albums. If looking for great straight-up pop, La Oreja De Van Gogh is a definite must and you should start from the beginning.
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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