Dreaming of You [Remaster] (CD - 1995)

Released in 1995, the same year she was tragically shot, DREAMING OF YOU was the first of Selena's posthumous releases. Prior to her death, Selena had been something of a cultural icon in Latino communities, admired as much for her status as a positive cultural role model as for her breezy, catchy dance-pop.

Like many of Selena's albums, DREAMING OF YOU balances ballads with bouncy, Latin-inflected grooves, a combination that had gained her popularity with young Latino listeners and traditional Tejano fans alike. The news of the singer's death brought her music to wider attention among North American audiences, so the album struck a chord across different cultural communities, a fact reinforced, no doubt, by the album's mix of Spanish and English lyrics, and her duet with David Byrne on "God's Child."

Most of America first learned of Selena because of her tragic murder; accordingly, the posthumous Dreaming of You was the first record they ever heard. While it isn't her best -- Amor Prohibido is a more consistent release -- it was an effective introduction, and showed why she was so beloved among Tejano fans. The English tracks on the album are no different than her Spanish songs. Selena was essentially a singer much like her idol Madonna. She was able to sing ballads and dance-pop convincingly. Dreaming of You would have been a stronger album if she had lived, but it still stands as a powerful -- and touching -- testament to her talents. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize