En Vivo

In terms of live albums, Mana's En Vivo is exemplary. It's filled with hits, offers crystalline sound quality, and boasts remarkable band-audience rapport, highlighted by the numerous moments when the crowd sings along to the better-known songs. Fher Olvera is a captivating frontman, and it's him in particular who engages this lively crowd most. The band as a whole deserves mention too, though. It not only plays its many hits well, but it often gives the songs new life, extending them and letting them go on until they're truly finished. And regarding those hits, some of Mana's most beloved are here, including "De Pies a Cabeza," "Oye Mi Amor," "Rayando el Sol," "Como Te Deseo," and an acoustic performance of the absolutely beautiful "Vivir Sin Aire" saved for last. Granted, most of these songs are from the 1994 Donde Jugaran los Ninos? album. In fact, pretty much every song from that album appears in the 18-song set list somewhere. But that's largely because En Vivo captures Mana in the wake of that album's mammoth success, and also because the guys only had two albums to speak of at the time of this one's release in 1995. So while En Vivo is certainly a wonderful live representation Donde Jugaran los Ninos? -- which may be reason enough for a great many fans to get excited, since that album is such a favorite -- it doesn't represent any of Mana's successive work, which includes a bounty of further hits. Keep that in mind when considering En Vivo -- it's far from a career overview and features the band in its early incarnation, even if it is exemplary. ~ Jason Birchmeier