Okay, so I might allow my inner fangirl to come out while reviewing this album and I will apologize in advance, but come on…how can you not love SBE (Sasha Benny y Erik)?
Three former members of the Mexican pop group, Timbiriche, came together for a Sony’s Primera Fila concert series where they performed songs from their solo careers, Timbiriche, and a few new songs. They had so much fun working together, that they decided to continue as a group and released their first studio album, “Vuelto Al Sol”, which includes new songs, covers of other artists, as well as a song from each of their careers.
Over the years, Erik’s solo career has grown on me. Sasha, well, she is my first love. Seriously. From the moment I saw her on stage with Timbiriche in 1986 (I was all of 15 years old), I knew this girl would be with me forever-musically of course. And Benny has always been a person I have had a love/hate relationship with, but together they seem to be the perfect example of great Latin Pop. Erik with his hipster upbeat sounds, Benny with his romantic vocal sounds, and Sasha’s sultry voice. There is nothing not to like.
The music is straight-up pop, and as pop, as you can be. There are no gimmicks or themes or tricks to make you like the music. You have a combination of upbeat pop and ballads, and the harmony between the three members seems to have a smooth chorus. All the music is perfect for singing along with them. Favorites on the album are the first single, “Esta Noche”, “Todo Tiene Su Lugar” and “Vivimos Siempre Juntos”, which is a cover of Nacho Cano.
Okay, I will now discuss what I feel are the negatives of the album… “Japi”, yes… but now say it in English… HAPPY. The trio decided to cover Pharrell’s “Happy” song for the last song of the album. My girlfriend thinks my issue is more with the placement of the song versus the song itself. This could be right because the song “Vivimos Siempre Juntos” is the kind of song that is meant to be a finale. It lends it musically. So you have this big finale, then you have to “get happy”. I can see why they placed it at the end, but really? It seemed way too cheesy for the ending. Okay, there you go… SBE “Vuelta Al Sol”.
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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