Chayanne

Any album like Chayanne's Desde Siempre poses a question to the listener, how many heart-wrenching pop ballads are too many for one record? No matter how much personal answers to this question may vary, Chayanne's choices will challenge even the most extreme. This is, of course, not a comment on the quality of the windswept, mountaintop balladry therein. Frequent collaborator and super-producer Estéfano, the Latino Berry Gordy, not only penned many of the tunes himself, but also oversaw the process of selection for this collection. Estéfano has helped to keep Chayanne's material on the top shelf, both in quality and in sales for some time now. Desde Siempre stands to remind listeners just how long Chayanne has been churning out his reverb-heavy heartthrob material. The compilation contains material from his 1988 self-titled album all the way up to 2005's Cautivo. Nearly two decades is a long time to be tugging at heart strings and especially, as this album demonstrates, with very little stylistic fluctuation. The material, large chronological gaps notwithstanding, fits together well and makes for an almost seamless listen. The application of Desde Siempre by the listener should be careful and well thought out. After all, this much melancholy and violins combined can be a powerful potion. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Rovi