Seduccion

PEÃ'A JENNIFER SEDUCCION

Seduccionfinds Tejano princess Jennifer Peña fully embracing her potential and individuality as an artist. The album features an impressive mix of polished cumbias and dramatic ballads, anchored by Peña's maturing vocals and the slick work of producers Rudy Perez and Kike Santander. "Vivo y Muero en Tu Piel" is the type of glittering, emotive ballad that has become a trademark of Peña's repertoire. The song is also featured in a cumbia remix and in a re-recorded salsa version, which finds Peña spicing things up with a more spontaneous vocal delivery. Producer Santander melds tropical and cumbia rhythms on the fiery "Cumba IHO," one of the album's best tracks. Peña herself boasts production credits on "Ya Veras" and "Si Yo Me Vuelvo a Enamorar," a pair of straightforward cumbias that blend perfectly with the rest of the album. Curiously, the weakest moment is "Como Saber," Emilio Estefan Jr.'s only contribution to Seduccion. The vocals and verses are appropriately dramatic, but the chorus soon becomes repetitive, and the instrumentation sounds uneven and thin. It's a small misstep, however, in an otherwise vibrant collection of songs. Just wait until Peña starts recording in English.--Joey Guerra