Jaci Velasquez - Milagro

Reviewed by George Luke

She’s young, she’s full of life and she can drop a nice dance tune when she wants to…so why does Jaci’s label insist on trying to turn her into Celine Dion? Her fourth Spanish offering is packed with ballads and mid-tempo pop songs - all very well produced, but basically stuck firmly in the middle of the road. Personally, I’ve always preferred Jumpy Jaci to Sedate Jaci, and there’s far too much of the latter on this CD for my liking. Of the tracks that did grab my attention, “Un Trocito del Cielo” sounded like early Jars Of Clay, and the quirky, country-flavoured “Me Valga Dios” reminded me of the Beatles’ “When I’m 64”. Also featured are “Mi Vida No Es Nada Sin Ti” (a cover of Gloria Estefan’s “Can’t Stay Away From You”), and “No Hace Falta Un Hombre” (I don’t need a man) - taken from her “Chasing Papi” movie (which has lost her quite a few Christian fans, if those disparaging comments on various websites are anything to judge by). Usually, there’s something that makes Jaci’s Spanish albums stand out from her English ones. Language aside, there’s not much difference this time round.