David Bisbal Albums (8)
'Sin Mirar Atras'
Release Date 10/20/2009
Tracks 11
Label Universal Latino
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What The Critics Say
Before its release, the popular speculation was that David Bisbal's 2009 album would be his grand crossover effort, as if he needed it. The Spanish singer has done just fine in his native tongue, having earned platinum sales across Europe and hitting the charts in America, but Sin Mirar Atras is still an album with a purpose. What it desires is to be taken seriously. The opening "Esclavo de Sus Besos" may be an uptempo and effervescent rocker but the production is perfectly sane, avoiding the over-production and gimmicky slickness found on earlier Bisbal singles. The grand ballad "Mi Princesa" is delivered with the right combination of grace and restraint, while the closing "Juro Que Te Amo" communicates a desire to stay together forever, not just the young lust of the singer's earlier work. While some fans might miss the slick dance numbers and the over the top pop tracks, the rich and rewarding Sin Mirar Atras is the sound of a former reality television contestant successfully completing the transition to mature artist. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Premonición Live'
Release Date 1/29/2008
Tracks 36
Label Universal Latino
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What The Critics Say
If his first two albums didn't put to rest any doubts about the ability of David Bisbal, who first made a name for himself as a finalist on the Pop Idol-style Spanish television show Operación Triunfo, his third album, Premonición, is further evidence that he's a truly versatile vocalist able to sing a range of musical styles impressively. His first two albums, Corazón Latino (2002) and Bulería (2004), found him excelling as a singer of dance- and flamenco-accented Latin pop, spawning a multitude of chart-topping hits in his homeland, including "Ave María," "Lloraré las Penas," and "Dígale" from his debut album as well as "Bulería," "Oye el Boom," "Camina y Ven," and "Cómo Olvidar" from his follow-up album. On Premonición, however, he fashions a new style of Latin pop for himself, one that still features aspects of dance and flamenco but is primarily rooted in rock and powered by electric guitar riffs. No song on the album is more exemplary of this new style for Bisbal than the album-opening lead single, "¿Quién Me Iba a Decir?," a punchy pop/rock song with a forceful delivery and stadium-size overdubs on the chorus. It's one of Bisbal's best singles to date, no doubt about it. The half-dozen songs that follow -- from "Silencio" through the seventh-sequenced title track -- are also impressive, getting the album off to a solid start with a bunch of potential follow-up hit singles that are likewise fashioned as punchy pop/rock to varying degrees (two of them, "Como la Primera Vez" and "Amar el Lo Que Quiero," going the power ballad route, electric guitar solos and all). The one exception among this opening run of songs is "Torre de Babel," far and away the album's most interesting song. Whereas the other album-opening songs include a little Spanish guitar in the pop/rock mix, as if to remind listeners that Bisbal is indeed Spanish and not just another Latin pop star gone rock, "Torre de Babel" is a mélange of numerous styles, reggaetón above all. But "Torre de Babel" is more than simply a team-up with reggaetón superstars Wisin & Yandel on their stylistic turf, an increasingly common practice among pop stars as of 2006; rather, the song, which also features Spanish guitarist Vicente Amigo, includes aspects of flamenco and bhangra as well as reggaetón and rock. Moreover, a couple different mixes of "Torre de Babel" are tacked onto the end of the album as bonus tracks -- one without Wisin & Yandel, one with a greater emphasis on the Puerto Rican duo -- and are likewise stylistically interesting, casting the song in different lights. As on his past couple albums, Bisbal collaborates primarily with journeyman producer/songwriter Kike Santander, who is unsurprisingly credited with most of the standout songs (i.e., the first four). Unlike his past couple albums, however, Premonición is largely co-written by Bisbal, who is credited on over half of the songs, particularly the latter half of the album. While the Bisbal-penned songs don't come close to rivaling those of Santander, it's still nice to see the television-star-turned-pop-superstar taking more control of his career and putting more of his personality into his music. His future continues to look brighter with each album release. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'David Bisbal'
Release Date 4/4/2006
Tracks 15
Label Universal International
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'Todo Por Ustedes'
Release Date 5/24/2005
Tracks 41
Label Universal Latino
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What The Critics Say
Latin pop can take on a variety of regional flavors. There are Puerto Rican pop singers who incorporate salsa and Afro-Cuban elements (Marc Anthony). There are Mexican pop singers who incorporate norteño, Tex-Mex, or ranchera elements (Ana Bárbara). But when all is said and done, they are still pop singers first and foremost -- Anthony isn't pretending to be Tito Puente or Beny Moré any more than Bárbara is pretending to be Lola Beltrán. And in 21st century Spain, David Bustamante and David Bisbal have epitomized pop singers who incorporate flamenco influences at times but are still Latin pop above all else. Todo por Ustedes (Everything for You) will never be mistaken for a document of a Paco de Lucía or Tomatito concert -- this three-disc set (two DVDs and an audio CD) is very pop-oriented, and Bisbal's sizable following knows that going in. Todo por Ustedes offers an abundance of live material and spotlights, among other things, 2004 concerts in Madrid and Barcelona. Bisbal is in good form on enjoyable performances of favorites like "Bulería," "Ave María," "Corazón Latino," "Dígale," and "Esta Ausencia," and the Spanish singer clearly maintains a strong rapport with his audiences. The first DVD really underscores his talents as a showman; a Bisbal performance is a visual treat thanks to all the choreography (enough choreography to give John Ashcroft a seizure), but even without the visuals, Bisbal would shine on-stage. For those who aren't among Bisbal's really hardcore fans, a three-disc set might be too much; casual listeners would probably be better off starting out with Bulería or Corazón Latino. But for Bisbal's truly devoted fans, Todo por Ustedes is a generally pleasing document of his talents as a live performer. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Paul Simon has argued that an artist's debut album is often his or her best because when artists have a lot on their minds and finally get a chance to record, the results can be unusually inspired. Simon's theory would explain the dreaded sophomore curse; second albums, in some cases, are disappointing because the artist has already used up many of his or her best ideas. Of course, there have been numerous sophomore albums that were anything but disappointing -- Led Zeppelin II, Madonna's Like a Virgin, Ice-T's Power -- and David Bisbal shows no signs of a sophomore slump on his second album, Bulería. The Spanish pop singer showed considerable promise on his first album, Corazón Latino, and is equally triumphant on this follow-up. Some of the credit for Bulería's excellence goes to the prolific Kike Santander, who produced this 2004 release and wrote or co-wrote many of the songs. Thanks to Santander, Bisbal has a lot of great material to work with -- and he sings with much conviction on exuberant, flamenco-influenced offerings like "Oye el Boom," "Camina y Ven," and the hit title track. Bisbal is far from a traditional flamenco artist -- his orientation is Latin pop -- but he does incorporate flamenco elements on some of the disc's up-tempo items. And on "Cómo Olvidar?" he draws on both flamenco and Afro-Cuban salsa. The singer is equally captivating on the 51-minute CD's romantic ballads, which show an awareness of Julio Iglesias. Perhaps Iglesias is too obvious and easy a comparison; still, it's hard not to think of Iglesias when you hear romantic Latin pop ballads performed with a Castilian accent. Not that Bisbal always uses Castilian pronunciations -- actually, he fluctuates between Castilian and Latin American pronunciations at times, which seems to be his way of acknowledging both Spanish and Latin American listeners. Bulería is a fine follow-up to Corazón Latino and is an essential part of Bisbal's catalog. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
