Gloria Estefan Albums (14)
What The Critics Say
Like Jewel and Liz Phair, Gloria Estefan chose a total change of direction for her 2003 release, writing all of the earnest and reflective lyrics for the soul-searching and devoid-of-dance-pop Unwrapped. With the most detailed production to ever grace the singer's albums (swirling mellotrons, Andean flutes, and a McCartney-esque muted-megaphone vocal trick that shows up too often) Unwrapped stumbles over itself trying to put Estefan's emotional lyrics up front. Longtime collaborator John Secada and a revolving door of writers contribute the hookless accompaniment to Estefan's rhetorical flourishes and excessive use of clich�s. Her authentic delivery shows she's really behind the new direction, which makes the urgent metaphors a little easier to take in small bites. Without even a hint of levity, sitting through the whole album feels like an exhausting open-mic night at the coffee shop. "Te Amar�" and "Wrapped," right some of the wrongs with light Latin touches offering relief and the four Spanish language reprises at the end of the album find the singer sounding twice as confident. The guest spots are left to the less ambitious numbers with Stevie Wonder adding some exuberance to "Into You," and Chrissie Hynde trading lines with Estefan on "One Name," isn't as awkward as expected. Had Unwrapped snuck in some of the new Gloria amongst some of the old it could have been more successful. Covering up the underdeveloped writing with sonic overkill, it as least interesting and a good setup for the expected "return-to-form" album. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Alma Caribeña (Caribbean Soul), Gloria Estefan's third Spanish-language album, is another assured, varied effort in the tradition of its predecessors, Mi Tierra (1993) and Abriendo Puertas (1995), both of which were popular successes. The album is a virtual tour of the Caribbean Islands, not only presenting styles from the singer's native Cuba but also from other Latin American countries. Much of the record has a traditional feel with acoustic instruments prominent, but that doesn't prevent a wide range of rhythms and musical approaches from being used. Salsa, son, murga, bolero, bachata, and Afro-Cuban styles are mixed, sometimes several in one song. Estefan sings with assurance and is joined for one song each by Latin music forbears Celia Cruz and José Feliciano. Though the album is intensely rhythmic, there is little for the singer's dance audience until the end, when a remix of the first single, "No Me Dejes de Querer (Don't Stop Loving Me)," provides the requisite dancefloor entry. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After spending some time exploring her Cuban roots and traditional pop, Gloria Estefan returned to straight-up dance-pop with the infectious Gloria! With its percolating disco beats and sunny melodies, the record recalls her glory days of the late '80s, but there is a stronger Latin rhythmic underpinning, which gives the music depth. Some of the songs themselves are slight, but most of them rank among her best uptempo songs and ballads, especially since her singing is better than ever. In fact, Gloria! proves that some dance-pop divas can get better -- and more adventurous -- with age. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With Destiny, Gloria Estefan ties together the Cuban and Latinbeat influences she had been exploring on her Spanish albums with the adult contemporary pop that dominated her early-'90s records. It's a stylish concept and, for the most part, Estefan pulls it off. Like most of her albums, Destiny suffers from uneven material and a creeping sense of sameness between the songs, but Estefan's voice keeps getting stronger with age, which helps her rescue the weaker material on the record. And the best moments of Destiny -- including the Olympic anthem "Reach," "I'm Not Giving You Up," and "Higher," among others -- rank with her finest work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) is Gloria Estefan's second Spanish-language album released in the U.S. Abriendo Puertas is about opening doors to the myriad Latin American cultures; therefore, this album features several different Latin styles of music from different parts of the world, including Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and the Caribbean. The music combines salsas, merengues, boleros, Afro-Cuban rhythms and chants, and other styles, resulting in a varied, sunny, and delightful album. This set differs from her other Spanish albums because at least half the songs are holiday tunes, with ample reference to Christmas and the New Year (the ballad "Mas Alla" even has Christmas bells in the background). In Latin America, Christmas is in summer, and so, in essence, this is a summer holiday album, which is quite an unusual concept for North American audiences. The songs are naturally positive, with well-meaning wishes for the New Year being a concurrent theme throughout the album. Estefan, as is always the case on her Spanish albums, sounds completely at ease with the material. The music on this album is traditional; therefore, there are no true American-style pop or club/dance songs, which is fine because the album should be taken and enjoyed for what it is -- a bright, multicultural Latin American semi-holiday album. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide
'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me'
Release Date 10/18/1994
Tracks 12
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A stretch for Estefan, it's a genuinely worthy one, even if it sometimes strays too far from her Latin roots. This album of classic covers includes brilliant pop hits ("How Can I Be Sure," "Turn the Beat Around"), moments of genuine pathos ("Traces," "It's Too Late"), and some pure dreck ("You've Made Me So Very Happy"). While the record enhances Estefan's reputation as a savvy, sophisticated pop singer, it also lays bare her limitations, confirming that she's more stylist than soulstress. ~ Eddie Huffman, All Music Guide
'Christmas Through Your Eyes'
Release Date 9/28/1993
Tracks 11
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Released in 1995, Gloria Estefan's first holiday album, Christmas Through Your Eyes, has a few concessions to her Cuban heritage, particularly with "Arbolito de Navidad," but much of the album is devoted to adult contemporary arrangements of familiar songs, such as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," "The Christmas Song," and "White Christmas." In other words, it's nothing remarkable, even if it has a nice new song in the form of the title track, and it will wind up only being of interest to dedicated Estefan fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Gloria Estefan's first U.S. Spanish-language album, Mi Tierra is one of her most satisfying, and a step above her English-language pop albums. Her voice is extremely well suited for the material, and the result is a breezy, sunny album with moments of melancholy and longing -- in short, one of her most consistent albums to date. Additionally, some of the best-known and most well-respected Latin musicians were employed to further embellish the album. There are plenty of happy upbeat songs on this set, including "Montuno," the anthemic "Mi Tierra," "¡Sí Señor!...," "No Hay Mal Que por Bien No Venga," and "Hablemos el Mismo Idioma," which are all perfect for a summer cocktail pool party. The ballads are among her most compelling, among these "Con los Anos Que Me Quedan," with beautiful lyrics and guitars augmenting the lovely melodies. That song, incidentally, later resurfaced as the English-language "If We Were Lovers," which can be found on her Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 collection. Other ballad highlights include the longing "Mi Buen Amor" and "Volveras." The lyrics, which are included in their English translations, resonate much more in Spanish. This set easily ranks as one of Estefan's best albums, albeit least commercial. True fans of the artist will love this set, which showcases her as much more of an organic talent than her pop songs demonstrate. On "Hablemos el Mismo Idioma" she suggests, "Brother, give me your hand, let's speak the same language," and that language is music. An album such as this deserves to be listened to and appreciated by everyone, Spanish-speaking or not. A true pleasure. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In early 1990, when she was one of the biggest pop stars in the world, Gloria Estefan suffered a broken vertebrae when her tour bus was struck in an accident, and her miraculous recovery from that near tragedy greatly informed her successive album, Into the Light. Though often noted as a "comeback" album, that descriptor is misleading. Yes, Into the Light is a comeback -- a comeback from her accident, that is. It's not a comeback in the sense that her previous album, Cuts Both Ways, had been a failure or even a disappointment. No, Estefan hadn't fallen off, so to speak, with that album. Quite the opposite. It was a monster hit, breaking into the Top Ten and scoring a couple of high-charting ballads: "Don't Wanna Lose You" and "Here We Are." It also marked a drastic shift away from the unabashed dance-pop of her Miami Sound Machine output toward a more respectable adult contemporary appeal. This shift affected not only her image but also her audience as a result, and that shift is even more apparent on Into the Light. In fact, the shift seems complete, as this is full-fledged adult contemporary album with serious themes and toned-down production. It sounds pleasant while playing, for sure, smoothly gliding from one song to the next, highlighted by a pair of memorable singles: the hit ballad "Coming Out of the Dark" and the cooing singalong "Live for Loving You." But there's not much else here that's all that exciting. In fact, Into the Light is so streamlined and safe that it seems plain and even bland, if not outright boring. Sure, Estefan's work with Miami Sound Machine had been silly and adolescent at times, but it was fun and lively, too. For every cheeseball song like "Surrender" or "Love Toy," you would get a pop gem like "1-2-3" or "Betcha Say That," not to mention the token slow-dance ballads and get-on-your-feet jams. But to lament the end of Miami Sound Machine is beside the point, for Estefan would move on after Into the Light to make occasionally exciting albums like Mi Tierra. The thing is, from this point forward in her career, Estefan's best work would almost always be Latin in nature. Yet for those listeners not interested in the sticky-sweet dance-pop of Miami Sound Machine or the Latin confetti of her latter-day highlights, there are albums like Cuts Both Ways and Into the Light, albums that aim for widespread adult contemporary appeal. And as far as those such albums go, they don't get much more inspired than this "comeback" album, which admittedly was wonderfully triumphant upon its 1991 holiday season release, when it soared to number five on the Billboard 200 chart, driven largely by its chart-topping lead single, "Coming Out of the Dark." ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
