Te Sigo Amando

by Alex HendersonYolanda Pérez' fourth album, Te Sigo Amando ("I Keep on Loving You"), will come as somewhat of a surprise to those who associate the Mexican-American banda star with 2004's Aquí Me Tienes and 2005's Esto Es Amor. Those unpredictable albums earned her a reputation for having an incredibly expansive and broad-minded approach to banda, which she has combined with everything from cumbia to hip-hop, R&B, dance-pop and reggae. But Te Sigo Amando is a surprisingly conservative effort from Pérez, who isn't nearly as far-reaching this time. Te Sigo Amando is, in a nutshell, an album that brings banda arrangements to Latin pop material and does so in a more middle-of-the-road, often adult contemporary-ish way, which is not to say that this 2007 release is not enjoyable. Those who admired the risk-taking spirit of Aquí Me Tienes and Esto Es Amor might lament the fact that Te Sigo Amando doesn't feature any rappers or incorporate cumbia one minute and R&B the next, but one can't complain too much when Pérez is putting a banda spin on familiar songs associated with Latin pop stars like Marco Antonio Solís' ("Si No Te Hubieras Ido"), Ana Gabriel ("Quien Como Tu") and Marisela ("Mi Problema"). In fact, there are no weak moments on Te Sigo Amando; Pérez' performances are consistently likable -- it's just that after the thrill-a-minute exhilaration of Aquí Me Tienes and Esto Es Amor, Te Sigo Amando feels like Pérez operating with more of a safety net. Nonetheless, this is a decent, worthwhile album that -- although not Pérez' best or most essential release -- will appeal to her hardcore fans simply because it is Yolanda "La Potranquita" Pérez.