Maná - Amar Es Combatir (CD)

All Music Guide

Arriving a long four years after Revolución de Amor (2002), which had been the band's most accomplished album to date, and a Grammy winner to boot, Amar Es Combatir confirmed Maná's continuing designation as the world's standardbearing Spanishlanguage mainstream rock band. Amar Es Combatir's lead single, "Labios Compartidos," was an overnight charttopper, and the album itself debuted at number four on Billboard's overall album chart, the highest debut ever for a Spanishlanguage release by a band or group. And make no mistake, such success was warranted, as Amar Es Combatir is not so much a stride forward creatively as it is a consolidation of everything that had earned Maná such a devoted international fan base in the first place. For better and perhaps for worse, there are no surprises on Amar Es Combatir: the band delivers yet another slick set of soaring rockers (of which "Arráncane el Corazón" and "Tú Me Salvaste" are the highlights) interspersed with laidback pleas of passion ("Oj...ala Pudiera Borrarte," "Bendita Tu Luz") and, of course, the obligatory heartclutching power ballad or two à la "Vivir sin Aire," the band's timeless breakthrough hit from 1994 ("Labios Compartidos," "Tengo Muchas Alas"). Critics of the band, of which there are legion, offered the same ageold complaints upon the album's release: the band repackages the same product each go round, the songs are awfully sappy for such a grufflooking bunch of guys, and yes, the music isn't authentic that is, it's not Latin enough. Regardless of whether you adore or hate Maná, there's no denying the appeal of Amar Es Combatir. This is a meticulous, impassioned, and allaround wellcrafted album of what fans had come to expect from Maná, and if it lacks some of the courage of Revolución de Amor, Amar Es Combatir is nonetheless a standout rock en español effort circa 2006 and another laudable effort by the everreliable band. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less