No Es Brujeria - Ana Bárbara

In 2006, Altagracia Ugalde, aka Ana Bárbara, was not only vocalist Ana Bárbara; she was also songwriter Ana Bárbara. That is not to say that Bárbara waited until 2006 to start writing some original material; she was doing it long before that. But 2006 was definitely a year in which the grupero/Latin pop star devoted more time to songwriting. Consider this: Bárbara wrote one song for 2003's Te Atraparé Bandido and two songs for 2004's Loca de Amar, but on 2006's No Es Brujería (It's Not Witchcraft), the number of Bárbara compositions is six -- and that is on top of the writing she did for her brothers Antero Ugalde and Francisco "Pancho" Ugalde (who comprise the banda duo Los Elegidos) in 2006. Bárbara might be best known for ear candy, but never let it be said that she was not a hands-on type of artist in 2006. Despite the fact that Bárbara is less reliant on outside songwriters on No Es Brujería and wrote a slight majority of the songs (only four of them were composed by other people), this 42-minute CD is not a radical departure from previous Bárbara discs. Grupero is still her specialty, and that Mexican-influenced style of Latin pop serves her well whether she is providing ballads (which include "Mi Amor Te Pide Mas" and "No Pidas Perdon") or providing up-tempo material such as "No Te Dejare," "Solo Mio," and "Si Tu Supieras" (which favors a bit of a rock edge without sacrificing any of Bárbara's pop sweetness). No Es Brujería falls short of essential and doesn't offer a lot of surprises, but it's a solid, consistent effort that won't disappoint the abundance of hardcore fans who have been buying Bárbara's albums religiously since the '90s. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide