★★★★★
Cute, right. Not offensive like Michael Bolton or Celine Dion, of course. But also a lot less fun than his buddy Gloria Estefan. In fact, the most unlistenable recent exponent of the "soul"-inflected American variant on the international pop ballad style. Just in case you're keeping track.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
For pure pipes, the Cuban-born crooner Jon Secada can blow Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesiasout of the water. But except for the frisky "Stop" and "Papi,"Secada seems content to power-glide through one moony,languorous mid-tempo ballad after another on his fourth album, Better Part of Me, autographing each with his signature yearning yowl. That won'tdo much to close the gap on today's cha-cha kids. C
- ew.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
What makes Heart, Soul & a Voice (SBK/ ERG) so much better thanJon Secada's double-platinum, self-titled 1992 debut? For one thing,never underestimate the power of sincerity: Where Jon Secada was acollection of impeccably calculated pop and adult-contemporary songs,Heart, Soul & a Voice sounds like Secada's earnest attempt toreposition himself as a state-of-the-art rhythm & blues singer, toinvoke older musical styles that have meant a lot to him, and to addsomething original to them...
- ew.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
Cuban-born Jon Secada is aformer backup singer for Gloria Estefan, and like his mentor he hasrefined his Latin roots, aiming them straight for the profitablemainstream. (His producer is Gloria's husband, Emilio Estefan.) Thesongs on Jon Secada are laced with a jazzy, radio-friendly dance beat, but sincethis is music made for grown-ups, it never veers off into anythingtoo rhythmic. Call it Latin Lite, or middle-of-the-road dance; it'scarefully constructed not to rock the condo...
- ew.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
Same Dream is Jon Secada's first pop album in five years and although there's been a long wait between albums, Secada hasn't changed his sound much in the ensuing years. In fact, Same Dream sounds as if he's turning back the years even further than 2000's Better Part of Me, as if he's trying to reconnect with the appealing mellow sound that fueled his early '90s hits...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
The vogue for English-sung Latin pop that swept the U.S. in 1999 may bode well for a comeback by Jon Secada who contributed to it by writing songs for the hit albums by Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. But, of course, things don't always work out that way; often, it's only the newly emerged artists who benefit from such a trend...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
Amanecer is Latin pop at its very finest and most refined. This is no surprise, coming from one of the genre's MVPs, having served as both writer and vocalist for some of the industry's biggest hits for over a dozen years. Jon Secada transitions freely from the English-speaking world of adult contemporary to the Spanish-speaking Latin pop charts. This record, however, is sure to delight pop lovers from both sides of the language barrier. With both experience and education (B.A. and M.A...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
Amor is a collection of Spanish love ballads, sung with grace by Jon Secada. The album is a more subdued and jazzy affair than Secada's previous efforts, proving that he is capable of many different styles as a vocalist.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27