Habla El Corazon
Yuridia graduated in 2005 fromLa Academia, a Spanish-language singing competition akin toAmerican Idol, but she still can't escape the show's karaoke trappings. Her first disc,La Voz de un Angel, was a collection of classic covers she performed during the show. Follow-upHabla el Corazonfinds the singer crooning Spanish versions of English-language pop hits. Yuridia's ardent fanbase has made her a star, and she's even eclipsed Academia winner Erasmo. (Yuridia took second place.) But her rich, emotive voice deserves better than this recycled pop fluff. To date, Yuridia's only original works are collaborations with Yahir and Victor Manuelle. She does what she can onHabla el Corazon, which finds her interpreting light-rock hits from Roxette, Bonnie Tyler, Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. Her version of "The Rose" (in English) is lovely, but like most of the tracks, it suffers from a wimpy, inconsequential arrangement. And whoever thought to include Billy Joel's "Piano Man" deserves a stern talking-to, indeed. Only fresher material and a savvy producer (Rudy Perez, Sebastian Krys) will allow this admittedly talented angel to truly take flight.--Joey Guerra