Quiero Decirte Que Te Amo

Album Review

When one thinks of sleek, polished, urbane romanticism in Latin pop, one tends to think of slow ballads — the sort of ballads that suave lover men like Julio Iglesias, Marco Antonio Solís, José José, and Juan Gabriel (Latin adult contemporary singers, if you will) are known for. Words like "upbeat," "energetic," and "exuberant" generally aren't the words that one associates with the phrase "romantic Latin adult pop," but in fact, one doesn't necessarily rule out the other. And if listeners need a demonstration of how a sleek album that is ceaselessly romantic can also be ceaselessly energetic, El Trono de México's Quiero Decirte Que Te Amo (I Want to Tell You That I Love You) is a prime example. El Trono de México have provided plenty of uptempo romanticism in the past, and they continue to do so on this 2010 release. Combining the bouncy duranguense beat with romantic Latin pop lyrics is the name of the game on Quiero Decirte Que Te Amo, which isn't a party album lyrically but has all the rhythmic and musical energy of a party album. El Trono de México's performances are consistently danceable, and we're not talking slow dancing. We're talking fast-tempo, move-your-body-all-around dancing, which is what the duranguense beat inspires on infectious tracks such as "Cielo de Estrellas" (Sky of Stars), "Maldito Miedo" (Goddamn Fear), "Un Hombre Que No Ha Sido el de Tus Sueños" (A Man Who Hasn't Been the Man of Your Dreams), and "Yo Soy Así" (I'm Like That). But if El Trono wanted to slow the tempo way down and turn this 34-minute CD into a ballads-oriented album of the Iglesias/Solís/Gabriel variety, the lyrics would certainly lend themselves to that type of approach. And while some regional Mexican enthusiasts might miss the ranchera elements that El Trono de México brought to 2008's Cruzando Fronteras, Quiero Decirte Que Te Amo is still an enjoyable outing from this duranguense combo.