Pau-Latina (CD - 2004)

Producers include: Chris Rodriguez, Marcello Azevedo, Emilio Estefan, Toy Hernandez, Sacha Triujeque.

Personnel: MC Wave, Teatime (rap vocals); Marcello Azevedo (guitar, bajo sexto, keyboards); Emilio Estefan, Jr. (didjeridu); Sergio George (keyboards, drum programming); Chris Rodriguez (programming).

DJ: Cesar Nieto.

Audio Mixers: Bob "Bassy" Bob Brackmann; Alfred Figueroa; Sebastián Krys; Tony Mardini.

Photographers: Nick Spanos; Richard McLaren.

Arrangers: Chris Rodriguez; Marcello Azevedo.

Paulina Rubio's decision to return to an all-Spanish format for Pau-Latina might acknowledge the 2002 English crossover attempt Border Girl as a slight misstep if her latest didn't drop its bits and pieces of Mexican instrumentation and language into such an ambitious and entertaining stew. As its colorfully kinetic, Björk-like cover art suggests, Pau-Latina is all over the place, and usually at a hundred miles an hour. "Baila Que Baila" mashes ringing mariachi guitars into the blips and bytes of an Ashanti-style contempo R&B number; there's even a hip-hop break to suggest the contribution of a Ja Rule or Jay-Z. "Quiero Cambiarme" and "Ojalá" take traditional horn blasts and robust supporting harmonies into a wild and disorienting future of neon-light electronica, while the dancefloor-ready "Algo Tienes"' bashing percussion and rock guitar would fit nicely on Shakira's Laundry Service. (The track also appears in an instrumental remix format.) Throughout Pau-Latina, there's an alluring scratchiness to Rubio's voice. Is she perpetually on the verge of raucous, contagious laughter? It's a definite that "Alma en Libertad" hijacks the lead riff from John Mellencamp's "Small Town," but it's an equally robust feel-good anthem that's impossible to shake from the brain. Neither the melodies nor the adventurism stops there. The lusty "Dame Otro Tequila" would make a nun thirsty, while the ballad "Mía" is a lush departure from the album's constant kicky beats. Pau-Latina is sure to please fans of 2000's Paulina. But the feisty, stylistic restlessness at its heart does more for Rubio's crossover potential than the pleasing though ultimately same-y beats of Border Girl ever could. ~ Johnny Loftus

Throughout her career, Latin pop idol Paulina Rubio has embodied the best stylistic elements of both Ricky Martin and Britney Spears, creating an energetic and intensely catchy mix that's tailor-made for both parties and dance floors. As with her other hit albums BORDERGIRL and PAULINA, the Mexican songstress combines modern salsa, Latin rock, house, and ranchera rhythms with a fun, flirty, old-school girl group pop sensibility. Whether letting loose with a gutsy, rapid-fire call for more liquor ("Dame Otro Tequila") or crooning in a sexy feline whisper ("Amor Secreto"), Paulina sounds like she's having the time of her life. It's this quality that makes PAU-LATINA a must-have for fans of Spanish-language music that encourages revelry and booty-shaking in equal measure. minimize