Marc Anthony

Amar Sin Mentiras

Relax! A Salsa Disc Is Coming...

Review Score:

(8/10)
Singer Marc Anthony's latest LP "Amar Sin Mentiras (To Love Without Lies)" debuted at the summit of the Billboard Latin albums chart, and for good reason. Easily his best album yet, it is his first album of pop songs in Spanish. He is currently recording a salsa album to be released later this summer as a sequel to "Amar Sin Mentiras," which is the reason his Nada Personal tour has been postponed until November.

Whether it is on sweeping ballads or hot uptempo tracks, Anthony's passionate, crystal-clear vocals remain pure as the waters of Caribbean. The material perfectly showcases it from the start of the opening track and lead single "Ahora Quien (Now Who)" to the very conclusion of the disc with the title track. The former, which reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Latin singles chart, features the collective talent of the London Symphony Orchestra and is a perfect introduction to Anthony's vocal prowess. A full-blown confessional ballad full of pain and longing, it is quite obvious from the onset of the album that Anthony demands attention and puts the material he sings across with great skill, regardless if you understand Spanish or not.

The title song, interestingly, comes across as extremely personal to Anthony, even though nearly the entire album was penned by the incredible Latin hitmaker Estefaño. He sings about trying to pick up the pieces of who he is and find love before time runs out, proclaiming that he wants to live and love with honesty. His ex-wife, former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, would certainly agree that he needs brushing up in this department, and his new wife Jennifer Lopez should hope for her sake that he does. Meanwhile, she happily duets with him on "Escapemonos (Let's Escape)" from the upcoming film "Shall We Dance" which she costars in with Richard Gere. Man and wife sound excellent together, the results of natural talent and studio magic, respectively.

Various highlights include the yearning "Se Esfuma Tu Amor (Your Love Dissapears)," where the love he had once suddenly disappears with nothing left in its place, and the mystic "Volando Entre Tus Brazos," (Flying Between Your Arms) which would could very well go on to become a staple Latin wedding song. "Valió la Pena" (??? The Pain) and "Nada Personal" (Nothing Personal) also beckon the back button for repeated lessons.

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