Búscame

Album Review

Telemundo TV star Jencarlos Canela became the hot topic of the Latin music world when his debut album, Búscame, entered the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart at number two. Canela — who goes by his first name only — is the star of his own telenovela (soap opera) on Telemundo. The album’s first single, “Amor Quédate,” was featured on the television program a month before the album’s release, and was the subject of a prime-time push by the network. According to Billboard, 62 percent of the album’s first-week sales came from Puerto Rico. The brisk sales of the set propelled it into the top half of the Billboard Top 200 chart as well. Musically, the set is standard Latin pop, but it kicks off with with the rocker "Nadie Como Yo," which features blazing distorted guitars, a piano worthy of the E Street Band, and a cut-time snare and kick drum beat that make it a solid anthemic pop/rocker with a refrain reminiscent of Juanés. The title track, with its popping big beat nuevo flamenco style, walks a tightrope between that genre and enormous production Latin dance-pop — one of the best examples of which is the catchy love song “Más Fuerte Que Yo.” Most of the rest of the album is made up of emotional pop ballads that are slow to medium tempo. The best of these are the sad “Sálvame,” the dramatic “Quiero Despertar,” and the bluesy “Estés Donde Estés.” Also included on the album are bonus salsa and club versions of “Amor Qué" as well as the video included as an enhanced track at the end.