Lipstick
Alejandra Guzman, Mexico's premierechica rockera, remains a vital and aggressive force onLipstick, her second collaboration with producer Desmond Child (Cher, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin). Fifteen years into her ever-unpredictable career, Guzman is still searching for that perfect balance of rock 'n' roll spirit and pop sensibility. She seems to have found it onLipstickwhich refines the sound she first explored with Child on 2001's Grammy-winningSoy, The prolific producer artfully reins in Guzman's wild-child delivery, surrounding her with glossy instrumentation that still has plenty of her trademark bite. The result is a sexy, smart album, typified in the title track. The song is featured in Spanish and English versions, both of which are perfectly suited to rock radio. Guzman also offers up "Hoy Me Voy a Querer," a faithful cover of underrated grrrl rocker Bif Naked's "I Love Myself Today."Lipstickalso features writing contributions from Evan Lowenstein (Evan & Jaron) and "super-duper" soul duo Joss Stone and Betty Wright. In the end, however, it's traces of Guzman herself left all over this alluring, electric record. --Joey Guerra