Juntos Otra Vez

Literally, "Together Again" — a mundane title for a scrupulously arranged and choreographed show in a Jalisco opera house that was filmed and eventually shown on television. This ironically was the last time Rocío Dúrcal and Juan Gabriel performed together before her death from lung cancer. The songs were either traditional mariachi dances or Gabriel's own compositions, some of which were expressly written for the concert. All of them except the disco-fueled finale fit squarely within Gabriel's traditional phase of songwriting, and most of them are inspired and elegant, particularly the opening number where two figures from ranchera's past pop up for cameo vocals. Gabriel had clearly absorbed (consciously, one hopes) the importance of balancing unity and variety that was the hallmark of 19th century Mexican music. Dúrcal sings the heck out of her songs, pushing the limits of her vocal range while never losing her voice's disarming seductive purity. The CD is a step down from owning the film itself with its stunning visual splendor. Aside from Gabriel's collection of flaming rebozos, Dúrcal probably never looked more beautiful, and the performers were always accompanied by a small army of ballet folklorico dancers. However, the CD does have songs which were left off the DVD including (curiously) the finale, "Que Bonita Es Santa Fe." ~ J. Chandler, Rovi