Olga Viva Viva Olga
Merengue firebrand Olga Tañón delivers her best material in a red-hot setting at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida. The Puerto Rican native spread her wings and dove into pop with her 1996 albumNuevos Senderos, and she still has that eagerness to mix it up. Among the choice cuts here are "Mi Eterno Amor Secreto," which mixes bluesy soul with romantic salsa, and "El Frio de Tu Adiós," for its melodic intensity and mature lyrics of accepting the end. Tañón shows off her versatility, swinging from the mid-tempo ballads "Presencié tu Amor," to the full-blown dance-pop workout of the bonus track "Viva la Música," which recalls the heavy percussion ofMarc Anthony's "I Need to Know."--Ramiro Burr