RBD Albums (12)
What The Critics Say
RBD's third album, "Empezar Desde Cero," unfortunately isn't as much fun as their earlier recordings, particularly their free-spirited debut album, the enjoyably frivolous Rebelde (2004), but it's a welcome turn toward maturity for the teen pop stars. It was perhaps inevitable -- like their fans, even made-for-television teen pop stars must grow old as the years pass. The result is a batch of songs with more thoughtful lyrical themes and more heartfelt performances from RBD, as if the teens are finally singing some material to which they themselves can relate. Christopher and Alfonso even get songwriting credits (for "Sueles Volver" and "Si No Estás Aquí," respectively). Yet once again, RBD's producers, Armando Ávila and Carlos Lara, are the ones credited with the standout songs: "Empezar Desde Cero," "Y No Puedo Olvidarte," and "Inalcanzable." These three songs start Empezar Desde Cero, and their successive sequencing is a bonus. Unlike past albums, where the good songs were spread out, these three songs are front-loaded on Empezar Desde Cero, and just as importantly, the lesser songs are sequenced toward the end. On some albums it's good to have the highlights spread out, but on an album like this, where some songs are ten times better than others, it's handy to have the highlights lined up so there's no need to skip around -- just hit play, and restart the album whenever you please. Indeed, the handful of highlights on Empezar Desde Cero are worthy of repeated listening. "Inalcanzable" and "Empezar Desde Cero" in particular might be RBD's best songs to date. They're so good, even RBD haters may be pleasantly surprised. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Rebels'
Release Date 12/9/2006
Tracks 11
Label EMI Televisa Music/Virgin
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It was inevitable. After a few years of staggering commercial success throughout Latin America, including Brazil and pockets of the United States, the teen pop group RBD unveiled an English-language crossover album, Rebels. The release had been planned for some time -- announced at a press conference, even! -- and in marketing-savvy fashion, it was preceded by a series of events intended to drum up anticipation. First there was a brief tour of the States in early 2006 that resulted in the CD/DVD Live in Hollywood. Then there was a high-profile concert at Madison Square Garden in July that was such an event it earned a snide notice in The New York Times by renowned music journalist Jon Pareles ("This is rebel music?" his article began). And then there was the run-up to the release of Rebels, which was preceded by lead single "Tu Amor," the group's English-language debut, and then by Celestial. That all-new Spanish-language album, released in late November, included a single of its own ("Ser o Parecer") and a bonus track sorpresa featuring samples of key songs from Rebels. It all amounted to a case study in how to go about breaking an international act in America, and as the album's Christmas release date rolled around, the only question remaining was whether Virgin Records would actually break RBD stateside. After all, as on-point as their roll-out campaign had been, marketing alone doesn't make for a successful album. And indeed, Rebels itself is a mixed bag. "Tu Amor" is perfect for the project: the song is written by Diane Warren, who turns in a lyric that is bilingual yet elementary in its simplicity; the production is a modern urban beat with a hip-hop rhythm, courtesy of R&B veteran Khris Kellow; and the vocals are primarily handled by Cristian, the most fluent singer in the group, with the chorus sung in unison by the group -- it's a single tailor-made for Tr3s, MTV's brand-new channel targeting acculturated Latinos. "Wanna Play" and "Cariño Mio," both credited to behind-the-scenes urban music talent Andrea Martin, are likewise ideally suited for RBD's pending crossover: bilingual lyrics that are elementary enough for Spanish- as well as English-language teens; a light yet trendy reggaeton production style; and traded boy-girl vocals that accentuate the undercurrent of budding sexuality central to these bump-and-grind dance songs. Unfortunately, the remainder of the 11 songs are mildly disappointing. "Connected" is a promising song, as is the other Warren contribution, "I Wanna Be the Rain," yet the stilted English pronunciation and overly simple lyrics weigh too heavily on the songs. The same can be said of the numerous English-language versions of previously released RBD songs, which -- to be expected, perhaps -- account for roughly half of Rebels. "My Philosophy," "This Is Love," "Keep It Down Low," and "Save Me" were all first-rate singles -- originally titled "Dame," "Nuestro Amor," "Solo Quédate en Silencio," and "Sálvame," respectively -- among RBD's best to date, for sure. However, too much is lost in translation, not only in terms of lyrics but also performance. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Another album, another tour, another live release for RBD. Following the release of their second album, Nuestro Amor, the Mexican teen pop group hit the road, performing in the United States for the first time. They released Live in Hollywood shortly thereafter, and it's a fitting souvenir of their tour of the States, highlighting the bulk of the songs from Nuestro Amor. In fact, Live in Hollywood features no songs from Rebelde, the group's first album. If you want to hear those songs sung live, you'll have to look to the previous live release, Tour Generación RBD en Vivo. Once again, RBD don't sound nearly as good live on-stage as they do in the studio, but the performance is lively, the crowd is ecstatic, and all the key songs are here: "Nuestro Amor," "Este Corazón," "Aún Hay Algo," and "Feliz Cumpleaños" most notably. So at least fans should be satisfied. As a bonus, there's a new version of "Sólo Quédate en Silencio," one of the hits from Rebelde, and there's also a brand-new song, "No Pares." Like Tour Generación, Live in Hollywood will likely appeal to fans only. RBD sound much better in the studio than they do on-stage, and anyone who isn't already a fan will probably wonder what all the relentless screaming is about. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For Celestial, their third Spanish-language studio album, RBD continued working with producers Carlos Lara and Armando Ávila, each of whom graced the teen pop group with roughly a half-dozen songs. Lara and Ávila had been largely responsible for the run of hits RBD enjoyed on their first two albums, Rebelde (2004) and Nuestro Amor (2005), both commercial smash hits throughout the Americas. Here the two producers stick with their winning formula and wind up with a few standout songs: "Tal Vez Después," "Ser o Parecer," and "Dame," which are front-loaded for a catchy kickoff to the album. The songs that follow aren't quite as charming, granted, yet they're not bad either, for Lara and Ávila are well-seasoned professionals who know how to craft appealing pop and dress it up fashionably. Previous to RBD, Lara earned his stripes on such teen pop projects as the Clase 406 soundtrack (based upon a telenovela, like RBD) and the boy band UFF. Ávila, on the other hand, guided La Quinta Estación to significant success, and he had a large hand in the brilliant outcome of Aleks Syntek's Mundo Lite, one of the best Latin pop albums in recent years. So while a legion of critics are sure to dismiss Celestial as further trash from this musically challenged troupe of kid actors, the international appeal of Anahi Portilla, Alfonso Herrera, Christian Chavez, Maite, Dulce Maria, and Christopher Uckermann (i.e., RBD) couldn't be clearer: they have executive production backing from Camilo Lara, VP of A&R and marketing for EMI Mexico; they're photogenically attractive, without question, and evidently well likable from a teenage point of view; they're willing to play their designated character roles (just consider the cover images of the CD -- the ridiculous amount of eyeliner on the boys, the sexed-up dress of the girls, the mussed-up hairstyles -- as well as the group's willingness to re-record their music for the Brazilian and English-language markets); and they work with two of the most accomplished Latin pop producers in the business as well as an array of ace songwriters. In the end, such a factory-line approach undoubtedly amounts to generic music, and indeed, Celestial isn't all that different from Nuestro Amor (however, the departure of songwriter Max di Carlo, who had written their initial hits, including their theme song "Rebelde" does differentiate this from their superior debut album). But as with any heavily invested mass-marketed product, it generally pays off to give customers what they want and expect, and Celestial should indeed please the teen pop group's hemisphere-spanning fan base as well as the suits at EMI and the industry analysts at Billboard. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Tour Generación RBD en Vivo'
Release Date 7/19/2005
Tracks 14
Label EMI International
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
To commemorate their first-ever live tour, RBD released a CD/DVD, Tour Generación RBD en Vivo. The featured performance includes all the key songs from Rebelde, the group's debut album: "Rebelde," "Otro Día Que Va," "Enséñame," "Un Poco de Tu Amor," "Sólo Quédate en Silencio." Plus, there's a cumbia version of "Rebelde" that closes the show and a video, "Sólo Quédate en Silencio." All of this adds up to everything a fan could want from a CD/DVD like this. As for the performance itself, it's well choreographed but not especially well sung. The boys in particular sing poorly. But the girls do a good job, especially on the ballad "Sálvame." It helps that the crowd sings along on many of the songs, especially the hits. This frenzied crowd response is mixed loudly, to the point where it sometimes overwhelms RBD's singing, not necessarily for the worse. In any event, fans aren't going to quibble about the singing. Much like the screaming concert-goers heard on Tour Generación RBD en Vivo, they'll likely find plenty to enjoy here. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
