Adentro

Adentro

Ricardo Arjona's <i>Adentro</i> is the sound of a master at the peak of his pop-rock craft. Arjona has always been an emotive, expressive performer--using his considerable talent to shed light on social and political issues that affect both his Guatemalan homeland and Latino populations around the world. <i>Adentro</i> continues that trend, most notably on benchmark single "Mojado," which chronicles the plight of undocumented workers entering the United States. (The presence of Texas-bred supergroup Intocable adds to the song's emotional resonance, and it only seems to get timelier with age.) Elsewhere, Arjona tackles lessons in life and love ("Para Bien o Para Mal," "Acompaname a Estar Solo," "Ya No Me Acuerdo de Mi") with an equal sense of urgency. Anchoring every song--and all of Arjona’s work--is his commanding voice, which maintains the difficult balance between steely determination and world-weary sentiment. A fine set of songs from a formidable singer. <i>--Joey Guerra</i>