I have been wanting to make a dent in reviewing my actual collection of physical media, CDs, and vinyl so I have been working through some of them while I have extra time. Yes, I know I should be working on more new music but eventually, I need to get to some of the old stuff. Yuri’s Espejos Del Alma, is not something I know very well so it is almost like a first listen even though I have owned this CD for quite a while. I claimed to be a Yuri fan since the early ’80s and had the opportunity to meet her many times in Los Angeles while she was promoting albums such as “Aire” and “Isla Del Sol”. My sister was a huge Yuri fan, so much that she named her first girl Yuridia (just like Yuri). But…after the album “Obsessiones”, I fell out of touch with Yuri’s music.
Musically, Yuri’s Espejos Del Alma is pretty darn good
Just recently, I was talking to my wife about Yuri and how I don’t know much about what she is doing currently, though I follow her on Twitter. Now, I am here touching albums that have collected dust on my shelves. Espejos Del Alma is the album that changed many people’s opinions about Yuri as an artist and a person. During the production of the album, Yuri was diagnosed with cancer in her vocal cords and it caused her to reevaluate her life. During this soul searching, she spoke out about how she was sexually promiscuous and had a problem with alcohol. She had a breakdown and attempted suicide and during the rehab from this, she found God. Her vocal opinions about her newfound religion and her “now” past life, did not sit well with a lot of her fans and also with her label. Since the album was on the table, the label released it but did not help promote it.
Musically, Espejos Del Alma is pretty damn good. She gives fans the strong power ballads that we are used to with songs such as “De Que Te Vale Fingir” and “Engañame”, but “Mueve Tu Cuerpo” is super fast and has a great club and dance vibe to it. And you can’t help but get up and party with a song like “Qué Me Va A Pasar”, which is reminiscent of “Carnaval Oriente” or “El Apagon” from the album Soy Libre. I think there are more ballads than there are the upbeat pop songs that I fell in love with Yuri for. I don’t know if Sony Music would have promoted the album more if it would have been a big hit for them or not, but this is history and you can’t change it.
Yuri is still out there singing her heart out and seems to have gained many of her fans back and can be followed on Twitter at @OficialYuri
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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