Paulina Rubio Albums (10)
'Gran City Pop'
Release Date 6/23/2009
Tracks 10
Label Universal Latino
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What The Critics Say
Paulina Rubio's giddy, silly personality bubbles forth all over this album; she sounds like she's having a blast on every song, even the ones that are about the pitfalls of love. She's a pure pop artist, throwing anything and everything at the wall with no goal beyond a hooky melody, and Gran City Pop has plenty of them. Arrangements run the gamut from the acoustic guitar and organ of "Amanecí Sin Ti" to the big sampled Gary Glitter beat of first single "Causa y Efecto," the New Order-style pulsing bassline of "Enséñame," and the Lady GaGa-esque electro-disco of "Algo de Ti," with sampled strings rubbing against hard synth lines. Perhaps the most surprising track on the disc, though, and one of its definite high points, is the hip-hop/ranchero fusion "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes," which sounds like it could have been produced by Camilo Lara of Mexican Institute of Sound. Over a thunderous boom-bap beat, Rubio half-raps, half-sings about how flowers and toys won't earn her love; it's exactly the kind of culture-blending, boundary-dissolving sound that encapsulates modern Latin pop, and it's brilliant. Almost miraculously, this album's style-hopping, from electro to pop/rock (sometimes sounding like Electronic, as on "A Contraluz") to indefinable blends of whatever works, never becomes tiresome. That's a tribute not only to Rubio's producers, but to her own force of personality. She's one of the most vibrant performers in Latin pop, and based on this album, she's not going anywhere anytime soon. ~ Phil Freeman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With Ananda, her third impressive all-new album in a row, it seems like Paulina Rubio has her career as one of Latin pop's biggest and brightest hitmakers on safe ground, following a frustrating decade with EMI in the '90s and an unsuccessful bid for English-language-translated crossover in 2002 (the stilted Border Girl, probably best forgotten). The former Mexican child star, aka La Chica Dorada, certainly has been through a lot, so it's reassuring to see her settle into such a smooth-running groove -- and it's especially reassuring for fans, who have had to wait several years between new albums. Rest assured, the two-and-a-half-year wait for Ananda was worthwhile, just as the four-year gap between her comeback album (and Universal Latino debut), Paulina (2000), and the kaleidoscopic Pau-Latina (2004) was indeed worthwhile. What makes Ananda so enjoyable, however, beyond the satisfaction of its impressiveness in the wake of its anticipation, is how different it is from her past work. Granted, the freneticism and electronic-tinged production prowess of Pau-Latina was a stretch from the relatively straightforward Latin pop of Paulina. But to then fully embrace restrained pop/rock, as Rubio does throughout Ananda, is surprising. If anything, one might have expected Rubio to urbanize her style with reggaeton flourishes, since she's such a huge pop star and since that seems to be the prevailing Latin musical trend of the moment. After all, even Shakira -- probably the most individual of Latin pop stars -- embraced reggaeton inflections with "La Tortura," the runaway Latin pop hit of 2005. Instead, Rubio heads in the opposite direction, collaborating with some of the most tasteful and mannered artists in contemporary popular Latin music, most notably Julieta Venegas, Juanes, and Xabi San Martín (better known in the guise of his band, La Oreja de Van Gogh), who each contribute a song. In addition, she collaborates with Cachorro López, the producer partly responsible for the wealth of wonders on Venegas' Limón y Sal (2006), as well as several other producers with grade-A résumés: Aureo Baqueiro, Rick Wake, Toy Hernández, Chris "Tricky" Stewart, and even Gustavo Santaolalla, who co-produces "Hoy" with his longtime associate, Adrian Sosa. (If that weren't enough, even former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash is a collaborator, oddly enough, laying down a solo on "Nada Puede Cambiarme.") Because each of these collaborators appears on only one or two songs, and because the recording of Ananda allegedly took over a year -- at Rubio's home studio in Madrid, no less -- the resulting album is an exceptionally solid collection of 13 would-be hits, each interesting and pleasing in its own fashion. It all kicks off with a run of radio-ready singalongs, beginning with lead single "Ni una Sola Palabra," and works through some guitar-driven rock songs before wrapping up with a few uplifting dance-pop songs and a breezy ballad to top it all off. Really, there's little to not like here if you enjoy Spanish-language pop/rock that is well written and impeccably produced. Granted, some may grumble about the lack of Mexican motifs, or the subdued turn away from dance music, or even the reliance on outsiders. Well, grumble away, because Rubio seems to be in such a comfortable place on Ananda that she could probably care less. For instance, the title she chose for this album is based upon "a worldwide movement based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda" (ananda.org) -- a spiritual form of yoga, that is -- a world removed from all the reggaeton and duranguense concurrently overtaking the Latin marketplace. Listeners who likewise would prefer to remove themselves from such a marketplace might start with Ananda. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Paulina Rubio's decision to return to an all-Spanish format for Pau-Latina might acknowledge the 2002 English crossover attempt Border Girl as a slight misstep if her latest didn't drop its bits and pieces of Mexican instrumentation and language into such an ambitious and entertaining stew. As its colorfully kinetic, Björk-like cover art suggests, Pau-Latina is all over the place, and usually at a hundred miles an hour. "Baila Que Baila" mashes ringing mariachi guitars into the blips and bytes of an Ashanti-style contempo R&B number; there's even a hip-hop break to suggest the contribution of a Ja Rule or Jay-Z. "Quiero Cambiarme" and "Ojalá" take traditional horn blasts and robust supporting harmonies into a wild and disorienting future of neon-light electronica, while the dancefloor-ready "Algo Tienes"' bashing percussion and rock guitar would fit nicely on Shakira's Laundry Service. (The track also appears in an instrumental remix format.) Throughout Pau-Latina, there's an alluring scratchiness to Rubio's voice. Is she perpetually on the verge of raucous, contagious laughter? It's a definite that "Alma en Libertad" hijacks the lead riff from John Mellencamp's "Small Town," but it's an equally robust feel-good anthem that's impossible to shake from the brain. Neither the melodies nor the adventurism stops there. The lusty "Dame Otro Tequila" would make a nun thirsty, while the ballad "Mía" is a lush departure from the album's constant kicky beats. Pau-Latina is sure to please fans of 2000's Paulina. But the feisty, stylistic restlessness at its heart does more for Rubio's crossover potential than the pleasing though ultimately same-y beats of Border Girl ever could. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Canta Como: Paulino Rubino'
Release Date 2/25/2003
Tracks 12
Label Miami
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What The Critics Say
Just like her blockbuster album Paulina (the biggest Latin album of 2001), Border Girl, Paulina Rubio's first foray into English-language musical territory, is a winning combination of different musical styles, successfully bridging pop, dance, hip-hop, rock, ballads, Latin, and even ranchera into one delicious package. The album opens with the first single, "Don't Say Goodbye," a feverish bit of Top 40 dance-pop, then quickly delves into the Latin rhythms of "Casanova," which is followed by the funky and melodic "Border Girl," whose underlying hip-hop beats only serve to make the song even more appealing. The album's true gem, however, is "The Last Goodbye," which bridges ranchera with a hip-hop beat and features one of the most memorable sing-song choruses in years. "The Last Goodbye" was one of the biggest hits from Paulina (originally titled "El Ultimo Adios"). Other hits from Paulina which are here in English versions include the rock ballads "The One You Love" and "Not That Kind of Girl" and the Hi-NRG dance ditties "I'll Be Right Here (Sexual Lover)" and "Fire (Sexy Dance)." Highlights include the gorgeous and breathy ballad "Undeniable," the funky and soulful "Stereo" (which features a rap), and, almost unbelievably, her version of the Kiss classic "I Was Made for Lovin' You." No matter how pop this album may lean, Paulina Rubio injects these songs with an undeniable and irresistible earthiness (and one heck of a sexy accent) and, in turn, makes Border Girl one of the most interesting and international pop albums of 2002. As a final note, the album closes with two new Spanish-language tracks, those being "Libre" and "Todo Mi Amor," as well as Spanish versions of "Don't Say Goodbye" and "Casanova" and the original version of "I'll Be Right Here" ("Y Yo Sigo Aqui"). ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Paulina Rubio's fourth album, titled simply Paulina, is her first for the Universal label, and also her first in four years. The club/dance diva style of Planeta Paulina is still in evidence, but here Rubio also works in plenty of infectious Latin pop, plus a few show-stopping ballads. About half the tracks were written by Colombian songwriter Estefano, and they display a variety that's never been quite so fully realized on a Rubio album before. All in all, it's one of her best to date. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Planeta Paulina'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 12
Label Capitol/EMI Latin
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