Although Juanes seems to be a newcomer in the Netherlands with his album Un Dia Normal, he has been busy for some time now. Born in 1972 as Juan Esteban Aristizabal in Medellín, Colombia, the singer was part of the rock group Ekhymosis for eight years, with which he recorded five albums, until it broke up in 1998. After this, Juanes continued as a solo artist and left for Los Angeles, from which
… followed his first solo album Fijate Bien in 2000. The album was nominated seven times for a Latin Grammy Award, two of which were ultimately awarded. Perhaps the enormous success of Juanes' compatriot Shakira is the reason to release his second CD Un Dia Normal worldwide. This album was also recorded in Los Angeles together with producer Gustova Santaolalla and contains mainly pop rock with a 'Latin' edge, tailor-made for the radio (almost all songs fade out at around 3.30 min.) Juanes sings everything in Spanish, but a real Latin American feeling can only be found in Luna, La Paga and La Noche. Also nice is the duet Fotografía with Nelly Furtado, who shows that he can also sing in Spanish. (IV)more
