Live in Hollywood (CD/DVD)
The RBD marketing machine continues to churn, and hapless teens, young adults, and gay boys who should know better continue to feed it with money better spent on lip gloss and video games. Live in Hollywood is--gasp!--the second live offering from the co-ed pop group. It features 12 of the same songs included on 2005's equally tepidNuestro Amor, only this time the studio trickery and pitch control are kept to a minimum. Woe to the listener. The vocals, both solo and as a group, are about as thin as a spider's web--and a lot less entertaining. Particularly off-key is red-headed member Dulce Maria, but in truth, it's awfully hard to tell them apart. For its part, the enthusiastic crowd screams at every entrance, every exit and pretty much every word--bless their hearts. In the hands of, well, singers, some of RBD's songs ("Este Corazon," "Solo Quedate En Silencio") would qualify as shameless pop fun. As it stands, however, RBD sucks the energy and soul out of everything their vocals come in contact with. We can only hold our breath--and our ears--until the next Spanish-pop fad comes along.--Joey Guerra