Gloria Estefan - 90 Millas (2007)

After a long career as a crossover queen, Gloria Estefan, along with her co-composer-producer husband, Emilio, has been captured in a nostalgic mood. The album's title, 90 Millas (90 Miles), refers to the distance between the couple's ancestral Cuba and their present home in the city of Miami where, first as lead vocalist with the Miami Sound Machine and later as a solo artist, Ms. Estefan became an important figurehead for a large ex-pat community. On this set, she is heard exclusively in Spanish, fronting a superstar line-up of singers and instrumentalists (a partial list would include Paquito d'Rivera, Johnny Pacheco, Israel "Cachao" López, Carlos Santana, José Feliciano, Arturo Sandoval, Sheila E., and movie star and Latin music aficionado Andy García). Her previous three albums performed exclusively in that language, Mi Tierra (1993), Abriendo Puertas (1995), and Alma Caribeña (2000), were each a bit more far-flung stylistically but this opus is Havana all the way. Highlights include the string-backed charanga romance of "Bésame," the high-spirited, "Guantanamera"-like call-and-response of "Refranes," the percussive, brassy frenzy of "Esta Fiesta No Va Acabar," the African influenced "Morenita," and "Volveré," which bears more than a slight melodic resemblance to Cat Stevens' "Wild World." The material is uniformly newly composed, and highly authentic and lilting it is, too. But it would also be wonderful to hear Ms. Estefan interpret a few classic boleros and sons, especially she has long since proven that she is equipped to do so with flying colors. -- Christina Roden