Disco de Jon Secada: “Amanecer”

Amanecer is one of Secada's best recordings to date. It is a perfect mix of fiery-energetic dance songs and beautifully orchestrated ballads. The dance tracks (such as "Encierrame" and "Me Enfermas") are very percussive and rhythmic, utilizing a variety of Latin American percussion instruments. These numbers dare you to dance, and dance you will! The ballads (such as "Si No Fuera Por Ti" and "Cuando El Tiempo Nos Castiga") are so exquisitely composed that you will easily lose yourself in time and space.

Amanecer has a couple of surprises - two excellent duets with Gloria Estefan ("Por Amor") and Fernando Villalona ("Ay Bueno"). "Por Amor" is a timeless classic that speaks eloquently of an enduring love. "Ay Bueno" is a fun and happy merengue that does not fail to make you feel good.

And last but not least Mr. Secada never sounded better. It seems wine is not the only thing that gets better with time. Jon's vocal approach for each song is nothing short of brilliant. When you listen to his voice, you hear the obvious reality of a seasoned vocalist, which is the only kind that could have recorded each track live in the studio (a la Tony Bennett).

Amanecer contains enough rhythms and melodies to appeal to just about any fan of Latin music or music in general. Do your ears a favor, and treat them to this wonderful treasure.

This is Jon Secada's second all-Spanish album, that is, not a Spanish version of an English language album. Like Gloria Estefan, Jon has shown that by far his most interesting and quality work is when he explores his own roots and sings from his Latin heart.

The first Spanish album, Amor, is a true singer's album; that is, a showcase for Jon's immense singing talents. It is sophisticated and subtle, clearly revealing that he is a formally trained singer. The background instrumentation takes a back seat to the artist.

In Amenecer, we have something very different. Each song is a highly prouduced ensemble effort, incorporating Latin folk influences and rhythms in a way Jon has not done before. Jon and the Emilio Estefan prouduction have actually succeded in creating a rather different kind of sound, quite an achievment when you think about it, in this age where so much pop music sounds the same.

There are basically two types of songs. One is a highly rhythmic, energetic, very uptempo piece, with a very funky and complex groove. There are some great instrumental touches, and interesting, almost African sounding backup vocals. These songs are more of an ensemble effort, as opposed to a spotlight for Jon's voice, per se.

The slow ballads most certainly, are however, , and Jon's singing is very beautiful, even if it not quite as extraordinary as in Amor. Si no Fuera por Ti is really nice, with a lovely introduction that really engages me. Even prettier is "A Sign."

A very nice bonus is the DVD included. It includes a video of Si No Fuera Por Ti, and an interview discussion (you can read English subtitles) of the album, with Jon, Emilio and Gloria. For those who consider Jon Secada The Sexiest Man Alive, as I do :)it is quite a treat to see the gorgeous images of him with beautiful South Beach backdrops. The image quality is very good, sharp and vivid.

There is also a still image montage of him that can be played with the same song. The pictures of him are very beautiful and enticing; at age 40 he has never looked better.

I do have one major criticism, which causes me to give Amenecer 4 stars instead of 5, and that is the duplication of material. "Ay Bueno" a duet with Fernando Villalona is on his new album. Actually it appeared on Villalona's album first, and the vocals are heavily weighted toward him. This is a really great song, but it simply doesn not belong on Amenecer. After this comes Quando El Tiempo Nos Castiga", lovely, but already released on last year's Christmas album, The Gift. Finally, the album ends with a "ranchera" version of Si No Fuera Por Ti, which really doesn't add much to the song. So these last three cuts have to be considered filler on a disk with just 11 total tracks. I have to say, unfortunately, that Amenecer comes to a somewhat unsatisfactory conclusion. The addition of one more original song at the end would have significantly helped the overall balance, impact and length of the album. Better yet, Ay Bueno and the ranchera should definitely have been eliminated.

Despite this problem, Amenecer it is certainly a very fine effort, and I recommend it strongly. Jon Secada is one of the few singers who can have an expectation of a life long career, and he has plenty of time left to explore even greater avenues. I would love to see a salsa or merengue CD, and most especially, a jazz album, as I understand that is what he began as. Previous albums have occasionally revealed tantalizing glimples of his ability in that area.

Fun energetic sounds and rythms mixed with nice strong ballads. Very nice CD.

Jon secada's music never disappoints me. This guy has an incredible talent, and knows what love is all about. I know I'm 10 years late of listening to this album for the first time but its never too late to discover old but new music. I loved every single song in the album. The ones I liked the most will have to be, Encierrame, Una Senal, Si No Fuera por Ti, Por Amor, Ay Bueno and Cuando El Tiempo Castiga. I love how he collaborated with Fernandito Villalona they sounded perfect together. Jon should sing merenge more, it sounded good and also Ranchera since he sang the ranchera version of Si no fuera por ti. I recommend this album to every one, its a perfect album to listen on family gatherings, a resort, or if you're home alone pop the CD in and have some wine and listen to it especially on a cold rainy night. You won't regret it. Worth every penny.

I just love to listen to JON SECADA in either English or Spanish. I have collected most of his albums and have bought the Spanish versions of the English formats marked here in the States. I don't understand Spanish, but that doesn't matter as I still pull so much emotion, feeling, and pleasure from this vastly underated singer. JON's 2002 record AMANECER is gorgeous from the blessed moment your ear has the priveledge to hear the first note, till the echo of the last fateful sound leaves your memory. A Spanish language album, the lush Latin rhythms flow like a orchestrated mountain stream at times only to explode into a pulsating beat of fiery life another; either way this fine collection of songs will bring out the Latin love of music in you. I find the whole album magnificant, and also enjoyed his talented friend Gloria Estefan sharing her talents here too. There's a bonus DVD disc wish has a music video and a 5 minute Spanish language interview with JON as well. AMANECER is one of JON'S finest albums, and some say it's his best Spanish speaking vocal; his 1995 Spanish language AMOR record is also excellent, yet musically is quite contrasting to to his work here. If you appreciate wonderous diverse Latin music with one of the strongest and distintive male voices around - then let this Cuban Song God sing for you and give AMANECER a permanant place on your CD shelf.