REVIEW: Sasha Benny Erik – Primera Fila (2012)

Benny Ibarra, the first to leave Timbiriche, had created a successful name for himself with a handful of number one hits to a market that leaned more toward romantic ballads, with a few strong pop tunes. Erik Rubin, who had originally joined Timbiriche to replace Benny, became a full-fledged pop sensation as a soloist with his deep raspy voice. And then Sasha Sokol, the first female to leave the group. Sasha had a successful start as a soloist, but due to personal issues left the music scene, for the most part, dropping albums every now and then to keep her relevant. Individually, these three artists could sell out small venues, but together… they are unstoppable.

Sasha Benny Erik, or as known now as SBE, took to the studio and stage to perform their number one hits from their solo careers. Hearing the three combined voices in songs that only one of them had sung reminded me of a bunch of friends getting together and just singing along in the car while driving down the road. There is a sense of enjoyment, not just from the audience but from the three members of the group. You could tell this concert was not work, it was having fun.

For the Primera Fila CD/DVD release, the group released 13 tracks, 4 of which were new songs that were recorded for this album. The other 9 songs we fan favorites. The trio’s first single from the album was “Como Hemos Cambiado”, a cover from the pop group, Presuntos Implicados, though SBE livened it up a bit more than the original. But I have to say that my favorite track has to be “Cada Beso”, which was written by Erik, which was the group’s other single.

If you weren’t lucky to be one of the fans in the audience, make sure you get the DVD combo because the filming at the concert was spectacular. It is definitely worth the money for the extra. SBE, together, proves to be one of the best group’s around.