 Gloria Estefan - In an industry increasingly
dominated by disposable artists and short-term careers, Gloria Estefan continues
to thrive and firmly command the ardent praise of fans worldwide. With the
release of "Greatest Hits, Volume 2," she ascends to a rarified plateau that
affirms her status as one of pop music's true and enduring originals. "As an
artist, you dream about accumulating enough successful music to someday do just
one greatest-hits album, but to reach the point where you're releasing your
second collection of hits is beyond belief," Gloria Estefan says. "I'm so proud
and so grateful to have reached this point."
In addition to providing diehard fans with a nicely woven
collection of Gloria Estefan's best-loved English-language hits from the past
nine years, "Greatest Hits, Volume 2" also effectively illuminates the most
creatively plush period of the artist's career to date. It also leaves the
listener appropriately enthusiastic about the next phase of Gloria's musical
career, thanks to the inclusion of the three sterling new tunes: "You Can't Walk
Away From Love," "Out Of Nowhere," and "I Got No Love." "These are songs that
allow me to remain true to the sounds and musical concepts that I've developed
over the last few years, while also experimenting with a lot of fresh, new
ideas," she says.
At the heart of "Greatest Hits, Volume 2" are tunes that draw
on Gloria Estefan's Cuban heritage. Although the last nine years have seen the
artist record three hugely successful Latin albums (1993's landmark "Mi Tierra,"
1995's "Abriendo Puertas," and 2000's "Alma Caribeņa"), she's become
increasingly cognizant of infusing Cuban elements into her English-language pop
material. "You'll Be Mine (Party Time)," "If We Were Lovers," "I'm Not Giving
You Up," and "Oye" all deftly pay homage to the artist's homeland in a way
that's also warmly inclusive of American pop music. "Music should always be a
means of bridging gaps and uniting people," she says. "The beauty of music is
that it can -- and should -- gather a wide variety of concepts in a way that's
universal." Gloria Estefan has carried that philosophy into music that is
designed to fully mainstream. 1998's "Heaven's What I Feel" is a dance bauble
that the singer says was intended to "capture the energy of the disco era, when
people of all types would gather to dance. It's a tribalistic ritual that
continues to this day, and it's one that I'm so completely in tune with."
At the end of the day, Gloria Estefan's dedication to making
music that touches the hearts of millions is beautifully displayed on "Music Of
My Heart," a duet with N'Sync that also served as the title theme to the film in
which Gloria made her acting debut. When you can make music that speaks honestly
about you --- and it connects with your audience --- there's nothing better,"
she says. "It's the ultimate joy that an artist can feel."
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