La 5ª Estación - El Mundo Se Equivoca [DualDisc] (DD)

All Music Guide

The exceptional success of Flores de Alquiler (2004) an album that spawned four major hits and remained firmly lodged in the upper reaches of the Latin album charts for a couple years, all the way until mid2006 couldn't have been easy for la Quinta Estación to follow up. Yet the MexicobywayofMadrid rock en español trio indeed came up with a satisfying followup album, El Mundo Se Equivoca, that duplicates much of what made Flores de Alquiler so successful without sounding like a blatant retread. Certainly, the bright and upbeat "Tu Peor Error" kicks off the album with as much horntinged zest as "El Sol No Regresa" did Flores de Alquiler; the soaring singalong hook of "Para No Decirte Adios" stands out several songs in, not at all unlike how the hook of "Daría" also stood tall several songs in; and the following song, the spare ballad "Suenos Rotos," is a sure showstopper that likewise soars vocally, just like "Algo Más," sequenced as it was right after "Daría." Yet there are enough di...fferences between these songs, not to mention the remainder of El Mundo Se Equivoca and Flores de Alquiler, that likely only a critic would draw these lines of comparison. And besides, if it's not broke, don't fix it, right? So rest assured that everything wonderful about Flores de Alquiler remains wonderful here, though the element of pleasant surprise that made that previous album such a charm no longer applies. Quite the contrary, in fact: as wonderful as El Mundo Se Equivoca may be, one can't help but measure it up to the heights of Flores de Alquiler, a challenging prospect that courts disappointment. So, keeping this in mind, it's best to take El Mundo Se Equivoca for what it is an album of firstrate Latin pop without relating it to its predecessor too unfairly. If want to draw those comparisons, however, account for these factors: "Suenos Rotos" is a striking song, but it falls short of the magic that made "Algo Más" so special; El Mundo Se Equivoca doesn't rock quite like Flores de Alquiler did, as the band's major asset, vocalist Natalia Jiménez, is moved further into the spotlight and often dressed up with strings; and lastly, don't overlook the closing song of El Mundo Se Equivoca, "Así Eres," which might be the best song on the album and is a key Xfactor differentiating this album from its lustrous predecessor. [Norte released a DualDisc edition that includes no major bonus content beyond the standard upgradedaudio features.] - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less