Juan Luis Guerra once again hits the nail on the head with his 2014 Latin music album “Todo Tiene su Hora” (Everything Has its Time). The title song has a very special and personal meaning for me!
The 12th studio recording for the 17-time Grammy winner has thoughtful and romantic Merengue, Bachatas, and Salsas. It even has a bit of Fusion-pop, which makes listening to “Todo Tiene su Hora” an entertaining experience.
Engaging Latin Music in “Todo Tiene su Hora”
The successful 57-year-old Dominican singer-songwriter, musician, producer, and bandleader released an album with variety, romance, and overall good music. I stayed fully interested in the music because of this variety.
The album’s 1st cut, “Cookies & Cream” is a merengue-fusion song that reminds me of the popular “Medicine for My Soul“. That song is included in the album “Llave de Mi Corazon” (2007).
From there you get nice Bachatas like the “Tus Besos” the 1st hit single of the album. Another beautiful bachata is “Muchachita Linda“. There are also two nice Salsa cuts, the first being “Dime Nora Mia“, dedicated to his wife. The other Salsa is the very catchy and flavorful “Toda Pasa“. This latter Salsa song reminds us that Guerra can sing Salsa with as much swing as the best in the genre. However, we have to note that Juan Luis is more of a poet and less of a “sonero”.
And then the album has 5 merengues, including the fusion-like “Cookies & Cream“. The duet with merengue legend Johnny Ventura in “De Moca a Paris” is extremely danceable. Well, what can you expect in a song with “El Caballo“.
Juan Luis Guerra Peaks on Poetic Lyrics
What I found most amazing about this album is the level of poetic lyricism that the singer-songwriter brought to his songs. Yes, this has been evident since his very 1st album and has been increasing. Yet, in this album, it spreads through genres and almost every song.
Juan Luis can make it romantically poetic, as in the Salsa “Dime Nora Mia“. In this song, he puts New York City at his wife’s disposal. He also displays his poetic talent in the merengue “Todo Tiene su Hora” and the Bachata “Tus Besos’.
I loved the slow merengue of “Canto a Colombia”. It’s delightful how eloquently and poetically Juan Luis Guerra composed this homage to this Latin American country.
As high as Guerra can go in with his poetic lyrics, he can rapidly tone it down to simple catchy tunes. He masterfully does this in songs like “Cookies & Cream” and the danceable “De Moca a Paris“.
Christianity Smuggled in “Todo Tiene su Hora”
I mean “smuggled” in a good way, in that you can enjoy the album even if you’re not a fan of gospel music.
“El Capitan” is the one cut with a clear religious theme, where Christ is clearly referenced as being the captain of our boat, in a nicely done life metaphor.
However, there are subtle religious references in a couple of other songs. For example, the one on the top of my mind is “Todo Tiene su Hora“. Toward the end of this song, he mentions that the love that has been the center theme is a gift from God (“..si es un regalo del Senor“). But only towards the very end of the song is where this is evident.
For Me, It’s My Time, and “Todo Tiene su Hora” my Favorite
The title song has a very special and personal meaning for me because it defines my relationship with my fiancée Ivonne.
After emotionally reaching a very low point a few years ago by going through a painful divorce, I’m about to marry a wonderful woman that had crossed my life 27 years ago. Now God has chosen this is the right time for us to join our lives…just like the “guira pide tambora“.
Ivonne – I love you, and now is our time (“llego nuestra hora“).
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