No Es Lo Mismo
On his first studio album in three years,No Es Lo Mismo("It's Not the Same"), Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz expands his musical horizons in hopes of reaching a bigger Stateside audience.  Already an accomplished songwriter (he wrote tracks for Ricky Martin's and Alexandre Pires' current albums) Sanz co-producedNo Es Lo Mismowith Cuban musician Lulo Perez, and the new collaboration gives much of the album a crisp, fresh sound. Still grounded in the lush rhythms of flamenco, Sanz adds rock, earthy instrumentation, and even rap to the mix, with mostly impressive results. The first single and title track builds to a rousing crescendo amid solid percussion and vocal support, while Sanz amusingly dabbles in hip-hop on the bilingual "Try To Save Your S'ong." However, love ballads and social themes are trademarks of Sanz's repertoire, and there are enough of both here to satisfy longtime fans and pique new listener interest.--Joey Guerra