Gloria Estefan – Alma Caribena (2000) SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Gloria Estefan – Alma Caribena (2000)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 54:26 minutes | Scans included | 2,53 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,10 GB

Alma Caribeña (Caribbean Soul), Gloria Estefan’s third Spanish-language album, is another assured, varied effort in the tradition of its predecessors, Mi Tierra (1993) and Abriendo Puertas (1995), both of which were popular successes. The album is a virtual tour of the Caribbean Islands, not only presenting styles from the singer’s native Cuba but also from other Latin American countries. Much of the record has a traditional feel with acoustic instruments prominent, but that doesn’t prevent a wide range of rhythms and musical approaches from being used. Salsa, son, murga, bolero, bachata, and Afro-Cuban styles are mixed, sometimes several in one song. Estefan sings with assurance and is joined for one song each by Latin music forbears Celia Cruz and José Feliciano. Though the album is intensely rhythmic, there is little for the singer’s dance audience until the end, when a remix of the first single, “No Me Dejes de Querer (Don’t Stop Loving Me),” provides the requisite dancefloor entry.

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Gloria Estefan – Greatest Hits (1992) [Reissue 2002] MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Gloria Estefan – Greatest Hits (1992) [Reissue 2002]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 58:34 minutes | Full Scans included | 3,7 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 58:46 min | Scans| 1,15 GB
Features Stereo & Multichannel Surround Sound

In 1984, Gloria Estefan started off as the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine. By 1987, after scoring four big hits from their first major U.S. album, they became Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, and by 1989, after even bigger success, it was simply Gloria Estefan. This greatest-hits collection covers the years 1985 to 1992, featuring most of the pop confections that propelled her to the top of the charts and to international stardom. Among the hits included are her three number ones: “Anything for You,” “Coming Out of the Dark,” and “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” as well as other Top Ten hits including “Conga,” “Words Get in the Way,” “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “Can’t Stay Away from You,” “Here We Are,” and the single mix of “1-2-3.” There are a few glaring omissions, however. “Bad Boy,” her second Top Ten hit, was left off, and that is unfortunate because the hit version was a remix of the original album version and is extremely difficult to find on CD. Other omissions include “Dr. Beat,” “Falling in Love (Uh-Oh),” “Oye Mi Canto,” “Live for Loving You,” and “Can’t Forget You.” To round off the set are four new recordings, including the album’s first single, “Always Tomorrow,” the Jon Secada-penned “I See Your Smile,” the irresistible Latin-flavored dance track “Go Away,” and the semi-tepid holiday tune “Christmas Through Your Eyes.” This is a good collection from a great artist that could have been a great collection had they included all the hits.

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Gloria Estefan – The Standards (2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Gloria Estefan – The Standards (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 53:24 minutes | 561 MB | Genre: Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Music Latin

Gloria Estefan always has had an element of cabaret in her act but she’s never tackled that staple of the supper club, the Great American Songbook, prior to 2013’s The Standards. Produced by her husband and longtime collaborator Emilio Estefan, The Standards plays it by the book, choosing familiar songs and playing them in familiar ways. Namely, there are plenty of syrupy strings and tinkling pianos, sometimes punctuated by the murmuring saxophone. Occasionally, Estefan shakes things up a little, adding a little Latin flair to “You Made Me Love You” or moving “What a Wonderful World” toward the parameters of adult contemporary soft rock, styles that suit her just fine without abandoning the concepts of the tried and true. While Estefan may not be extremely well-suited for these songs — she doesn’t burrow into their meaning, she doesn’t surprise with her phrasing — she sings them sweetly in a manner suited to the record’s spirit. It’s designed as comfort music, after all, so it should be performed in a comforting way, which it is. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Gloria Estefan – BRAZIL305 (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Gloria Estefan – BRAZIL305 (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:13:13 minutes | 962 MB | Genre: Latin Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Music Latin

It takes only 20 seconds of rhythmic rapture on “Samba” before a familiar melodic refrain emerges. Not long thereafter, Gloria Estefan’s distinct voice cuts through and reveals the self-referencing interpolation at play, a culture-blending revival of Miami Sound Machine’s 1985 smash “Conga”. Such boldness sets BRAZIL305, the 13th studio album of her decades-long career, off to a truly memorable start. With a titular portmanteau that perfectly encapsulates its contents, the project bridges São Paulo with Miami in riveting fashion. Fan favourites from her bilingual catalogue like “Get on Your Feet” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” transform here with fresh instrumentation that maintains the pop majesty of the original versions. Estefan doesn’t limit the reinterpretations to her own work, providing inventive takes on tracks like Maria Rita’s “O Homem Falou” in both English and Spanish.

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