Ezequiel Peña - Para Ti Mi Historia (CD)

All Music Guide

This 2006 release is not the only Ezequiel Peña bestof collection that Fonovisa has put together, but it differs from the others (at least as of 2006) in two important respects. It is a twoCD set, not just a single CD and, more importantly, it contains spoken introductions from Peña that give it a very autobiographical quality. Before each song, Peña briefly describes what the song is about and what it means to him personally; all of the tunes were previously released, but the spoken introductions were recorded especially for Para Ti...Mi Historia. Those introductions (which can be enjoyably humorous at times) are, of course, en español, and they are quite a pleasure to listen to if one speaks Spanish (which describes the majority of Peña's followers). Because Para Ti...Mi Historia takes more than a brief look at Peña's '90s and 2000s recordings, it isn't recommended to someone who has only a casual interest in his work (which has included banda, mariachi, ranchera, corrido and beginning in 2005 norteño). Even though Para Ti...Mi Historia is a bestof, it is a collection that is really designed for someone who is already a serious Peña fan and those who fit that description will appreciate the introductions that precede essential favorites like "De Buena Gana," "Animas Que No Amanezca" and "Mi Gusto Es." Peña fans have heard most or all of these recordings before, but not with the spoken introductions and commentaries that help to make Para Ti...Mi Historia such a thoughtful and nicely assembled collection.

- Alex Henderson, All Music Guide