Puerto Rican pop singer Ana Isabelle‘s first album after winning Univision’s singing competition “Viva el Sueño” last November is pretty much what listeners would expect: a perfectly acceptable collection of covers and songs she sang on the show, which is even name-checked in the album’s title, “Mi Sueño.” Fortunately, she has the chops to hold her own, with pop veteran Cristian Castro on the well-chosen ballad single “Por Amarte Asi.” The track has previously been recorded by Castro, but it was more recently a hit by youth-leaning duranguense group Alacranes Musical. A cover of massive hit “A Puro Dolor,” with Son by Four‘s Angel Lopez, is another fine duet. Isabelle’s throaty vocal on the mariachi classic “La Media Vuelta” hints at some potential in the genre, given some time, experience and more song choices that suit her-as they do on “Mi Sueño.”-Ayala Ben-Yehuda
