Renovatio

Renovatio, the fifth studio album of new material by Antonio Orozco, is another impressive album by the Spanish singer/songwriter on which he collaborates with multi-instrumentalist producers Xavi Perez and Tato Latorre. Orozco collaborated with Perez and Latorre on each of his previous studio albums: Cadizfornia (2006), El Princio del Comienzo (2004), Semilla del Silencio (2001), and Un Reloj y una Vela (2000). Clearly, these guys have a winning formula, with Orozco writing the songs and singing them while Perez and Latorre bring the music to life, giving it a well-polished contemporary Latin pop sheen. Though the music is fairly typical for commercially oriented pop/rock, there are enough flamenco touches in the rhythms and the vocals of Orozco to make Renovatio unmistakably Spanish in style. In some ways, Orozco could be likened to a Spanish version of Juanes, albeit without the guitar heroics and the humanitarian world-view in his lyrics. Renovatio, whose title translates to Renovation in English, isn't so much a reinvention of Orozco's music as it is a refinement. Whereas Cadizfornia featured several guests and found Orozco experimenting with different styles (e.g., the skittering programmed rhythm track of the hit single "Tres Corazones"), Renovatio finds him going it alone and sticking with straightforward pop/rock for much of the album. Only during the latter half of the album, once the highlights subside, does Orozco start experimenting, and even then there are few surprises and they're mild at that (e.g., the stripped-down piano ballad "Ya Lo Sabes," the synthesizers that pop up laser-like during the chorus of "Un Lugar"). The highlights that open the album include "Que Me Queda," "Llevatelo," and "Paso," all great songs that are among Orozco's best work to date. ~ Jason Birchmeier