The Bottom Line
After a big success with her debut album, Lagrimas Calidas, Colombia’s Fanny Lu is back with Dos. Light, bouncy and a touch sophomoric, the album is still quite enjoyable with its fusion of Colombian vallenato, strong accordion riffs and mainstream pop themes and tendencies.
Pros
- Fun, bouncy fusion of Colombian vallenato and mainstream pop
Cons
- Less tropiical pop, more mainstream
- Happy music sometimes at odds with lyrical themes
Description
- 11 tracks of Colombian-tinged light pop
- Guest: Sin Bandera's Nahuel Schajris on "Un Minuto Mas"
- Released December 2008 by Universal Music Latino
Guide Review - Review: Fanny Lu - 'Dos'
There must be something in the air of Colombia. The country keeps turning out colorful, charismatic, tuneful singers and Fanny Lu is no exception. Lagrimas Calidas, her 2006 debut album, was a major hit in Colombia and its breakout single, “No Te Pido Flores” leapt to a top spot on the Latin American charts while earning Fanny Lu nominations at all the significant Latin music award extravaganzas.
The title of the album, Dos, of course means 2. This is Fanny Lu’s second album. It’s been 2 years since the previous release; Fanny Lu has had 2 years to refine both her image and her music.
In terms of image, gone is the curly haired, naïve looking young Colombian. The new Fanny Lu must have spent those 2 years with an image consultant/stylist with a resulting ‘diva princess’ look that would have Britney Spears green with envy (just look at the album cover).
And while the music is still directly in line with the tropical pop sound that made Lagrimas Calidas so popular, even that has been stylized: more mainstream, less Colombian roots and somehow lighter, happier and more in line with ‘princess pop.’
In an interview with People en Espagnol Fanny Lu states that the title of the album refers to all things coming in pairs: love and a lack of love, tears and a time to move on. There’s no doubt that these are the themes of the album’s 11 tracks and, while the music is fun, upbeat and really very well performed and produced, it raised some questions in my mind.
Is “Tu No Eres Para Mi” (You’re Not for Me) really a fun theme? Is “Celos” (Jealousy) an upbeat emotion? Is “Corazon Perdido” (Lost Heart) a bouncy subject?
Dos is a light, enjoyable pop album. I ‘m just not sure about the title; maybe it should have been called “Colombian Teenager In and Out of Love.”