A Contracorriente

Reseña de álbum

A Contracorriente, Bustamante's sixth album and first in a few years, is another carefully crafted, commercially oriented effort helmed by Latin pop hitmaker Kike Santander and other industry professionals. Those who have followed Bustamante since he rose to fame on the reality television show Operación Triunfo in 2002 are sure to be pleased by A Contracorriente, which is on a par with his previous albums, all of which were chart-topping hits in Spain: Bustamante (2002), Así Soy Yo (2003), Caricias al Alma (2005), Pentimento (2006), and Al Filo de la Irrealidad (2007). Like those albums, A Contracorriente is graced with a couple sure-fire hits and quite a bit of filler that nonetheless sounds great thanks to the big-budget production work of Santander and company (i.e., Daniel Betancourt, José Luis Arroyave, Rafa Vergara, Antonio Rayo "Rayito"). The front-loaded highlights include the uptempo lead single "Abrázame Muy Fuerte," whose tame romantic lyrics are less interesting than the odd yet propulsive backing track, which mixes Celtic violins with a light dembow rhythm typical of reggaeton, and the sentimental ballad "Universo de Todo," an ode to fatherhood. Though not one of the album's best moments, "No Debió Pasar" is notable for its Shaila Dúrcal guest feature. As for Bustamante himself, he's in fine voice and never passes up an opportunity to showcase the power of his vocals. However, it never feels like he's in control of A Contracorriente, which like most of the albums to come from Operación Triunfo-affiliated acts fails to offer anything out of the ordinary. For better and for worse, it's perfectly typical of Bustamante's other five albums to date.