It was about ten years ago that my best friend recommended I listen to Chayanne as a way to help me learn Spanish. It was around that time that Chayanne released Volver a Nacer (1996), and later, Atado a tu Amor (1998). After listening to what are arguably two of his best CDs, I was an instant fan, so much so that I even went to two of his concerts.
These two albums were followed by Simplemente (2000) and later, Sincero (2003), both very good efforts but not as good as what came before in my opinion. These in turn were followed by two oddities, Grandes Exitos (2002) and the Desde Siempre (2005), both of which included mostly old songs plus 2-3 new songs. The new songs were good, as were some of the alternate versions / remixes, but honestly I thought Chayanne's best days were over. And then, in 2005, further evidence arrived that my hunch was right: the awful Cautivo. As bad as it was, Cautivo taught me an important lesson: it's better to buy a CD that contains mostly good old songs (or variations of these) plus 2-3 good new songs than a CD filled with crappy new songs.
After Cautivo, I swore I'd never buy another Chayanne album again. But as they say, "Never say never." As it turns out, I was snooping around the Internet a few weekends ago, looking for some new latin music, when I discovered Chayanne had released another album called Mi Tiempo. Admittedly curious, I checked out the reviews on Amazon, only to find that people really liked this new album (5 stars out of 5, the ratings said). Moreover, I learned the CD contained all new songs. Still, after the two "best of" albums and Cautivo (which surprisingly is still listed for $17), I wasn't willing to risk putting down the $13 Amazon is charging. Happily, after a bit more research, I found Mi Tiempo on a competitor's website for < $10 (with shipping and tax) - and I decided to take the plunge.
The CD arrived about a week ago but I let it sit around for awhile - I was in no hurry after Cautivo. But this morning, I decided it was time for me to give Mi Tiempo a morning commute test drive. Well, you cannot imagine my delight as I listened to this CD - straight through, not skipping over one song! Then I went back and listened again (I have a long commute). I was literally singing and dancing as I entered my office this morning - in the best mood ever for a Monday morning. Later, I listened to Mi Tiempo again during lunch. And this evening, I listened to it again on my commute home. Needless to say, this is in my opinion one of Chayanne's best albums - different from, but on par with, Volver a Nacer and Atado a tu Amor. If you haven't bought this, buy it now - it definitely is worth five stars!! And now, I hope you will excuse me - I have time just to listen to Mi Tiempo once again before bedtime...
I purchased the cd when it was first released, but waiting until now to give my review as I needed to listen to it for awhile. Now that I have taken the time to really listen to Chayanne's Mi Tiempo (And I listened to it alot) I must say - I love the whole cd - You gotta check it out!
I too will be seeing Chayanne in concert (San Jose) tomorrow night (5-27-07) Hopefully he performs many of the songs on Mi Tiempo! Awesome cd!
Everyone has their own flavor for music. But if you are one who likes Latin music - Chayanne's Mi Tiempo is your flavor!
I am so pleased with the CD...it's what I was looking for & I love the song "Me Voy a Rio!" Thanks, Amazon for helping me find it so easily.
I listen to this CD on a daily basis and can never seem to get enough of it.
Excellent work!!!
Great music. Words are simple easy to understand. Melody and rythm I love them. I can even imagine the 'movimientos' of Chayanne when I listen his songs.
