Jon Secada Albums (12)
'Amanecer'
Release Date 10/22/2002
Tracks 10
Label Sony International
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Amanecer is Latin pop at its very finest and most refined. This is no surprise, coming from one of the genre's MVPs, having served as both writer and vocalist for some of the industry's biggest hits for over a dozen years. Jon Secada transitions freely from the English-speaking world of adult contemporary to the Spanish-speaking Latin pop charts. This record, however, is sure to delight pop lovers from both sides of the language barrier. With both experience and education (B.A. and M.A. in jazz vocal performance from the University of Miami) in the pop/jazz realm, Jon certainly lacks the telltale vocal inflection and ornamentation that is characteristic of Cuban singers. But Amanecer never attempts nor pretends to be a salsa record. Instead, Jon croons and woos the listener with his cognac-smooth phrasing and lush string rich arrangements. Even the dance tracks present, fun though they are, are very Anglo-friendly, downbeat-oriented, and lacking swing. This pop masterpiece bears the Miami/Estefan mark and all the epic glory and shine that comes with that name. Like so many previous Secada releases, Amanecer aims to be a crowd-pleaser on a grand scale and, like all that came before, is sure to achieve its goal. Secada was born to chart and lives his birthright to the fullest with Amanecer. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Jon Secada took a traditional approach to this Christmas album, hiring a 60-piece orchestra to play José Antonio Molina's lush arrangements and recording live with it. Tradition also rules much of the song list, with favorites like "Silent Night" (in English and Spanish versions) and "O Come All Ye Faithful" turning up. Secada has taken the liberty of including a couple of originals that probably won't become standards, though he doesn't embarrass himself. This is a pretty somber set for the most part, perhaps more appropriate for late on Christmas Eve than Christmas morning, but it's well-sung and the arrangements add new elements here and there without varying much from the familiar. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The vogue for English-sung Latin pop that swept the U.S. in 1999 may bode well for a comeback by Jon Secada who contributed to it by writing songs for the hit albums by Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. But, of course, things don't always work out that way; often, it's only the newly emerged artists who benefit from such a trend. Secada broke big in 1992 with his self-titled debut album and made a successful follow-up with 1994's Heart, Soul & a Voice, but then he suffered a relative failure with 1997's Secada, at least in part because his record label, the since-shuttered SBK division of EMI, was already falling apart and failed to support it. He jumped to Epic, the label home of Gloria Estefan who gave him his start in the business, and clearly has spent a lot of time and money constructing his fourth English-language album, Better Part of Me. It's one of those massive efforts, employing nine producers in an attempt to construct ten possible singles. (There are also four Spanish-language versions and remixes at the end of the disc.) Although Secada has in the past succeeded with ballads that scaled the adult contemporary charts even when they only performed modestly on pop radio, half of Better Part of Me consists of dance songs, several of them, notably the first single and lead-off track "Stop" and "Papi," in a percussive Latin style that strongly recalls Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony's English-language hits of 1999. Though the instrumental tracks are convincing, Secada's voice is too smooth (at least when he's singing in English) to give the songs the requisite excitement. He remains more convincing on the mid-tempo rhythm ballads like "Break the Walls" and "Speak to the Wind," and he is at his best on the slow, heartbreaking love songs "There's No Sunshine Anymore" and "When You're Gone." By its very nature, this kind of attempted blockbuster, like its counterpart in the movie business, requires an expensive, well-constructed publicity campaign to support it. It is in some ways easier to break a brand-new recording artist than it is to re-launch a faded veteran, and even if Secada has made an album that measures up to those of the Latin pop stars who broke through in 1999, his best chance for success still may be with the faithful audience that bought his ballads at the start of his career rather than in competing directly with the young Turks. By the time of the album's release, "Stop," issued as a single several weeks earlier, had not made an impression commercially. The next step seemed to be come with a ballad (perhaps "Lost Inside of You") and try to reacquaint the adult contemporary radio audience with an old friend. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Despite a couple of bland tracks and an overlong running time, Secada is a fine return to English-language adult contemporary pop by Jon Secada. While the songs aren't always distinctive, Secada's voice is clear, pure, and lovely, making even the weakest songs tolerable. Only a handful of songs are first-rate -- including the single "Too Late, Too Soon" -- but the record is pleasant and makes for fine background music. ~ Rodney Batdorf, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Amor is a collection of Spanish love ballads, sung with grace by Jon Secada. The album is a more subdued and jazzy affair than Secada's previous efforts, proving that he is capable of many different styles as a vocalist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While there aren't as many obvious singles on Jon Secada's second album, his voice sounds better than ever, making it a worthwhile sophomore effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
