Julieta Venegas - Aqui (1998)

Aquí marks the debut of all-around talent Julieta Venegas, who here writes her own songs, sings them, plays the piano (as well as accordion, keyboards, organ, and vibraphone), programs the beats -- she does a lot. Over the course of Aquí she puts her talents on display in dramatic fashion, crafting an almost painfully intimate album that sweeps across different styles and moods steadily, carried throughout by her poetic singing. All of this is perfectly foreshadowed in the opening moments of the album's opening track, "Oportunidad," which begins with roughly 20 seconds of solo piano suddenly eclipsed by some abrupt programmed beats and percussion that are accompanied by haunting accordion and then Venegas' majestic voice. By the time the chorus comes crashing in near the two-minute mark, you're immersed in an utterly unique approach to rock en español that supplants the traditional guitar-bass-drums approach with accordion-keyboards-beats. That is, until about halfway through the album, when "Con Su Propia Voz" opens with a stormy wave of violent piano, announcing a sharp change in direction. And indeed, the second half is stormy sailing as Venegas throws it all at you -- string arrangements, gentle electric guitar washes, choral sections, a cappella singing, orchestral stabs -- and shifts tempos, arrangements, and moods from song to song, all the while tying the proceedings together with her ever-present voice. To top it all off, she has the best producer in Latin alternative music, Gustavo Santaolalla, at the helm of the ship, and Café Tacuba bandmembers Enrique Rangel, Joselo Rangel, and Rubén Albarrán credited with bass, guitar, and design, respectively. Aquí has many standout moments, including "De Mis Pasos," "Cómo Sé," "Con Su Propia Voz," and "Recuerdo Perdido," yet the album is best enjoyed as a beginning-to-end listen. The sequencing is key, for Aquí builds into something much greater than the sum of its pieces