Dreaming Of You Atlanta GA

Dreaming Of You

Selena

EMI Latin Records, 1995

REVIEW BY: JB

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/17/1997

The death of this popular Tejano singer left many questions, butthe one I'm most interested is: could she have done it? Could shehave cut up the non-Latin charts without the wide-spread publicityof her death? It's easy to say Dreaming Of You was a fluke just as it's easy to say it wasinevitable.

There are some obvious signs of superstardom; an original songwritten by Diane Warren (not one of Warren's more lyrical ones,however), the inevitable showcase ballads and of course the mostobvious one: Trey Lorenz in the background of the first track. "ICould Fall In Love" is pop with a refreshing Tejano lacing, provingAmy Tan's words that "it's hip to be ethnic."

All of the English tracks are ballads either classic ormidtempo, which again promotes monotony. A surprising and painfulflaw at the end of "Captive Heart" shows that she is making amistake many popular singers today are making; exerting too muchthroat is a one-way ticket to voice destruction. The flaw is neverheard again, but an uncertainty lingers in the listener's mind.

Once you get over the English tracks, the Spanish tracks begin.Half of the songs have her singing in Spanish and many of them werewritten-produced by her father/manager which kills a lot ofdiversity and makes the sound wear out quicker, but not withoutmaking some statements first.