Gloria

Album Review

After scoring five number ones and her first Billboard Hot 200 entry with 2007's Una Rosa Blu, controversial diva Gloria Trevi's re-emergence into the Mexican pop scene appears to be complete, judging by the success of her seventh chart-topping album, Gloria. Produced by regular collaborators Armando Avila and Sebastian Jacome, her eighth studio effort is described as a tribute to women everywhere, hence the female empowerment lyrics on the flute-led ballad "Y Ahora Te Sorprendes" (one of two tracks penned by Sin Bandera's Leonel Garcia), and girl power anthems such as the kitsch Latin pop of lead single "Me Rio De Ti." But like the latter, there are several occasions when Trevi unwisely attempts to keep up with her younger counterparts, as on the Lady Gaga-inspired shimmering synth pop of "Fuego con Fuego" and the KeSha-esque dirty electro of "No al Alguacil," a duet with fellow Mexican pop icon Paulina Rubio. She's much more convincing on the tracks which hark back to her late-'80s and early-'90s heyday, such as the infectious power pop of "La Noche," the polished AOR of "Puede Ser Amor," and the joyous cover version of el Chapo de Sinaloa's "Recostada en la Cama," which adds pounding beats, mariachi horns, and an overblown guitar solo to the ranchera original. Following her fall from grace, few would have predicted Trevi would bounce back with such aplomb, and while Gloria is far from her best work, it's a solid, if slightly derivative, record which should further re-establish her legendary Latin pop status. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi