Marc Anthony

of the talent, there is NO question...but...

Review Score:

(6/10)
not that marc anthony's self-titled english language debut is at all unlistenable, it's just not the great latin cross-over hope that sony music likes to pretend it is. one of the beauties of world music is more the transcendance of raw talent than what is actually being said {obviously, when you don't speak that particualr language}--and on that level alone, anthony has long been one of my favourite vocalists. he even made his freestyle origins--a sub-genre of music one, let's face it, needs zero talent for--exciting and worth hunting down. his foray into english pop music, as opposed to his exceptional latin roots, is somewhat disappointing. anthony's instrument is still mesmerizing, floating and jettisoned and painful and ravishing all at the same time, reaching notes no male pop singer has lately attempted and succeeded so radiantly, while avoiding the vaccuous heights of a celine or mariah. his comparison to sinatra might be a bit premature, but sinatra's later years were permeated with the same problems we find on this album: dripping with soporific sentimentality and laden with deadened ballads, it falters in excitement. most of it lays there, while marc's amazing vocal talents try, in vain i'm afraid, to save the material...swooping glorious little curves around ineffective melodies. i do listen to this cd, though, and what i relish is the knowledge that someday he will make his artistic english-language mark, and when he does, it will be thrilling.

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