Olga Tañón - Éxitos y Más (1995)

In the wake of two straight years of consecutive hit singles by Olga Tañón, from 1994 through 1995, WEA Latina decided to capitalize on the burgeoning merengue star's stock with a cash-in compilation, Exitos y Mas, released just in time for the 1995 holiday season. It's a slightly odd collection, offering only eight hits (and not just her biggest ones, either -- no "Entre la Noche y el Día," for instance) and appending a lengthy "Mega Mix" of her hits at the end. The hits include one from Sola ("Me Cambio por Ella" -- not really a hit, per se, but a good song nonetheless), three from Mujer de Fuego ("Contigo o sin Ti," "Presencie Tu Amor," and "Se Que Vendras Llorando"), and four from Siente el Amor... ("Es Mentiroso," "Una Noche Mas," "Ya Me Cansé," and "Aun Pienso en Ti"). The "Mega Mix" is mostly a novelty, something devoted fans will want to hear, but not something most will return to repeatedly. The "Mega Mix" also appears as a heavily edited four-minute "Radio Mix." Since Exitos y Mas doesn't include all of Tañón's hits to date, nor does it include anything extra beyond the "Mega Mix" -- no newly recorded or previously unreleased songs, that is -- it's of marginal value, more as an oddity than anything. The subsequently released compilations A Puro Fuego (2003) and 100% Merengue (2005) are highly preferable.~Review by Jason Birchmeier