The BLOGTOBER 2008 Album Reviews (05 of 23) Belanova, Fantasia Pop

I guess I'm a sucker for 80s pop, remade in the 00s, with an extra dollop of queso. That's why you may catch me bouncing along to these catchy tunes on the highways and byways of greater Southern California (OK, I lie, mostly just on the Westside).

Also, I'm cheating a bit with this album, it was released worldwide last year, but it was new to me in 2008, so as far as I'm concerned, it counts as a 2008 release.

Belanova, Fantasia Pop [Zune.net, Amazon]

1) Baila Mi Corazon
(video here, sound quality not so great, good job UMG!) A bouncy little tune, super cheesy, if it was in English, I'd probably hate it, but it's in Spanish so I love it. I'm biased that way, can't help it, my tolerance for cheesy pop is much higher when sung by cute chicas.

2) One, Two, Three, Go!
(video here) Another bouncy tune, this one's a bit less cheesy, and it's a lot of fun. I will not apologize for finding this fun. It's got a bit of Art of Noise, a bit of lots of bands from the 80s, and plenty of queso, but it's good queso.

3) Por Esta Vez
(video here) I know just enough Spanish to get the jist of songs like this. It helps that the themes are pretty simple. It's an appealing little pop confection, this. Denisse Guerrero has a really nice voice, and she doesn't push it too hard the way some pop stars do nowadays.

4) Rockstar
(video here) OK, now we might be entering CHEESE OVERLOAD territory. I think they pull it off, but just barely.

5) Paso El Tiempo
(video here) Another slightly disposable piece of pop fluff. None of these songs will change your life or make you rethink your taste in music, but it's not a bad way to spend 3 and a half minutes, either.

6) Vestida De Azul
(video here) OK, they've done it, here it is, this song is clearly a case of CHEESE OVERLOAD! Next.

7) Cada Que...
(video here) They're 25 years behind the times (or right in the middle of current trends, depending), and they're not making any apologies. More pleasantly fluffy pop fluffness. Does the loud/quiet/loud thing well, though.

(the remaining tracks are pending, stuff to do, this BLOGTOBER business is tough to keep up with...)