Gloria Estefan Album: “Amor y Suerte: Exitos Romanticos”

After conquering mainstream America in the 1980's and early 1990's, Gloria Estefan returned to her Cuban roots with 1993's historic "Mi Tierra" album. Twelve # 1 Latin singles, three Grammy-award winning Spanish albums and a decade later, Estefan offers "Amor Y Suerte: Exitos Romanticos," a collection of her best-loved ballads. Included in this retrospective are seven chart-toppers, including the classic "Con Los Anos Que Me Quedan" and last year's Peruvian-influenced smash, "Hoy." Also found here are the non-Estefan album singles "No Pretendo," "En El Jardin" (w/ Alejandro Fernandez), and "Por Amor" (w/ Jon Secada), as well as "Ay, Ay, Ay Amor," the lone new song, which finds Estefan experimenting with Mexican sounds while giving her upper-register a workout. (This track alone makes the CD worth its price tag.) While mainstream success has been elusive of late, "Amor Y Suerte" showcases the artist at her most effective, solidifying her status as the voice of her people's generation. Spanish is truly the most romantic of languages, and nobody conveys that better than Gloria Estefan, who fully embraces her native-tongue to perform with a passion and assurance that is unparalleled in her contemporaries.

MIA: The beautiful "Mas Alla."

Gloria Estefan can do no wrong. Though her popularity in the English market has been slipping as of late, her career as a Latin goddess has only increased since the hey-days of "Mi Tierra." Only a year after the release of her stunning album, "Unwrapped," Gloria releases a collection of her most beautiful ballads sung in her native tongue. Although "Amor Y Suerte" does not have the upbeat hits, it showcases the material that, in actuality, she is most famous and appreciated for. All of her #1 Latin ballads are featured here, including the timeless "Con Los Anos Que Me Quedan" and the haunting "No Pretendo." Simply said, Gloria Estefan is the master female balladeer in any language. Whether it be in English, Spanish or even Portuguese, Gloria can sing a love song unlike no other -- and this album proves that. What also makes this a worthy collection is the fact that it includes three non-album hits, a brand new song entitled "Ay, Ay, Ay Amor" (which is one of her best yet), and a DVD that features live performances from Sessions@AOL and last year's Vegas stint. Gloria's genuine voice is always candy to the ear; however, when you hear that distinct voice in her native language, it's like adding a dash of sizzling Expresso that warms the heart and stimulates the mind. This collection is yet another testament of how versatile and original Miss Estefan truly is. The Latin queen stikes gold yet again.

This is a CD of romantic Latin songs with an added DVD. The music is wonderful with Gloria at her very best. The music is prompted by her Cuban heritage, and even tho it is performed in Spanish, I think anyone will love the recordings whether or not they speak or understand the language. If you love good music, and Estefan's style, this is a must for your collection!

This is such a good CD. I play it and people ask me who is that, I love how Spanish sounds when Gloria sings it. Divine. The duets are wonderful.