Entre Tus Brazos  (Audio CD) 
by Alejandro Fernandez

In less than a decade, Alejandro Fernández has emerged as one of Mexico's leading young performers by effortlessly balancing the solid ranchera sounds of his father Vicente Fernández with the slick balladry of contemporaries like Enrique Iglesias. On Entre Tus Brazos, however, Fernández sticks a bit too close to the formula of his past successes. His deep, expressive voice glides nicely around the sensual rhythms of "Háblame" and "Quiéreme," but there's a sense of slick detachment that courses throughout most of the tracks, all of which were produced by Emilio Estefan, Jr. Every song is awash in sound-alike string arrangements and tortured-love lyrics. The tempo picks up here and there, but this glossy collection is likely to induce more sleep than swoons. --Joey Guerra