Many artists take time between albums. Sade was gone a decade, but come on, she’s Sade.
Gone, but not forgotten, Camila members Mario, Samo, and Pablo are back with Dejarte De Amar. Camila came out around the time of fellow Mexican rock/pop phenomenon Reik, and since then, Reik has released three strong records; now Camila is barely on their second, but can they catch up?
Camila leans more towards the lite-hard rock/pop sound. The band captures their sound perfectly with the album cover: a sepia tone photograph of the band on ladders in a lake. The album is beautiful, shows growth, but at the same time gives room for progression of the band’s sound and songwriting.
“Mientes,” the first single, shoots to the sky right off with its radio-friendly riffs making for one of the best rock songs in the past ten years.
Perhaps the most standout track on the album, “Entre Tus Alas,” produces the feeling of floating on water. It’s gentle, yet strong and perhaps has one of the strongest hooks ever used in rock music history. Combined with acoustic guitars, which tinkle through the song alongside Mario’s vocals, listeners soak in richness and feeling.
The title track allows the boys to pour a little theatrics into the mix. You could only imagine them with shiny capes to accompany the performance on stage. By far the biggest risk the band takes as composers.
“De Mi,” the final track, takes the listener on an emotional journey through the musical wilderness, complete with tribal flutes. On the other side, “Nada,” takes the listener back to the sweet sounds of vintage Camila.
Slower songs, like “Restos de Abril,” “Alejate De Mi,” and “De Que Me Sirve La Vida,” border on the sappy side.
The real problem with the album would be when background-vocalist Samo takes the lead. While Mario’s voice is beautiful and diverse, Samo gives the same breathy, whispery vocals throughout the entire album. Artistically, the vocalist tries too hard to be different, changing chords and melodies when they need not change.
At the end of the day, Camila not only took on the rock genre, they took it to the next level. With Dejarte de Amar, Camila goes from “Where are they now?” to the savior’s of Latin rock.
