Tamara - Amores (2009) FLAC

Best-known as a singer of ballads and boleros, Tamara picks up the tempo on her seventh album, Amores, which she recorded in Miami with Latin pop hitmaker Kike Santander. The album is finely balanced between the slow and sophisticated material that is most typical of Tamara, and material that is faster in tempo and more rhythmic. Initially associated with Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Santander is an industry veteran who has produced and written songs for a long list of Latin pop superstars, including fellow Spanish vocalist Shaila Dúrcal on her recent chart-topping album Tanto Amor (2008). The Columbian producer is credited with writing four of the album's 12 songs, three of them uptempo, most notably the tropical highlight "Nadie." Moreover, Kiki's brother and songwriting partner, Gustavo Santander, adds another highlight, the atmospheric album-opening bolero "Como Tenerte Otra Vez." Elsewhere on Amores, Tamara sings material by Spanish songwriters Raúl Bioque and José Abraham, the latter of whom she worked with on her last album, Perfecto (2007). Bioque is credited with three songs, including the lead single, "Cada Día," while Abraham is credited with two songs, including "Amores Que Van y Vienen," another rhythmic highlight with horns and a fast tempo. Other standouts include "No Quiero Nada sin Ti," a guitar-driven pop/rock song with a memorable chorus bolstered by backup vocals not unlike "Cada Día." One of Tamara's most accessible albums to date, Amores includes not only ballads and boleros, but also rhythmic songs and a couple pop numbers. -- Jason Birchmeier