Looking at her sex kitten-ish publicity shots, one could easily assume that
Anasol Escobar is a provider of Latin teen pop -- perhaps a Spanish-speaking equivalent of
Britney Spears,
Jessica Simpson, or
Hilary Duff. The bubblegum factor is as strong in Latin America as it is in the United States and Europe, and
Anasol certainly wouldn't be the first Latin artist to provide teen pop en español. But
Anasol has nothing to do with teen pop and isn't part of the Radio Disney crowd; the South American singer/songwriter (Columbia by way of Argentina) goes for something much more mature and introspective on this self-titled debut album, which favors an intriguing blend of Latin pop, adult alternative (as in
Sarah McLachlan or
Dido), Europop (she has cited
Everything But the Girl as an influence), and Brazilian pop.
Anasol doesn't do any singing in Portuguese (Brazil's official language) on this CD, which was produced by Luis Fernando Ochoa; all of the lyrics are in Spanish -- and it isn't as though she is inundating listeners with samba beats or trying to pass herself off as
Gal Costa. Even so, there is a vaguely Brazilian quality in her vocals (although it's so subtle -- even subliminal -- that someone who hasn't spent a lot of time listening to Brazilian pop probably won't even notice it). But make no mistake: the Spanish language is
Anasol's stomping ground, and she uses it in a thoughtful way on personal offerings like "Voy Volando," "Sube el Alma," and "Sentimiento." Despite her songwriting talent and Ochoa's guidance,
Anasol's debut is slightly inconsistent -- there are some excellent tracks and some tracks that aren't as memorable. But overall, this is a promising debut for the Latin popstress. ~ Alex Henderson