Mariana Ochoa, the former and current member of Onda Vaselina/OV7, tried her hand at a solo career with two solo albums, “Soy Yo” and this, “Luna Llena” during the mini-retirement of the Mexican pop group. Many of her bandmates decided to go solo during this time. The most successful of all seven members were Kalimba, but I think that if OV7 had not returned to the stage, I think Mariana’s solo career could have been something big. She’s the cute girl next door and her music fits her image.
During her time in OV7, Mariana’s wholesome image made her a favorite of the group and the minimal success she had with her solo albums I feel wasn’t because of the talent, but the lack of support of Warner Music, her record label. Her debut album had enough credibility to give her a second chance and the music is right in line with the times. A combination of upbeat pop songs and ballads makes Mariana’s “Luna Llena” accessible to the masses.
Sometimes a singer’s biggest asset can also be her weakest and in this sense, I think the album lacked the sensuality that I think is needed for a singer, especially a female, in order to succeed. The songs seem too cute and too wholesome to grab the audience. While I say that I enjoyed a lot of the songs, there was something that was missing in order to hold me and I think it could possibly be her high child-like voice. At times it works. For example, the upbeat pop song “Volvamos A Intentar” can handle the fun energetic nature that the fans from OV7 have come to enjoy; but songs like the title track, “Luna Llena” needs a stronger deeper voice in order to carry the track and evoke emotion to the listener. I wanted to dance where I needed to but wanted to fast forward when I couldn’t. This is not to say that the album isn’t good as a whole, but I think the chosen songs could have been geared more toward her unique sound and style.
We didn’t get to see Mariana grow too much as a solo artist because OV7 reunited and has been touring around Mexico, plus with Mariana’s current pregnancy and firstborn, I doubt we will see her doing anything more than OV7 concerts in the future.
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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