Adentro

Ricardo Arjona's Adentro is the sound of a master at the peak of his pop-rock craft. Arjona has always been an emotive, expressive performer--using his considerable talent to shed light on social and political issues that affect both his Guatemalan homeland and Latino populations around the world. Adentro continues that trend, most notably on benchmark single "Mojado," which chronicles the plight of undocumented workers entering the United States. (The presence of Texas-bred supergroup Intocable adds to the song's emotional resonance, and it only seems to get timelier with age.) Elsewhere, Arjona tackles lessons in life and love ("Para Bien o Para Mal," "Acompaname a Estar Solo," "Ya No Me Acuerdo de Mi") with an equal sense of urgency. Anchoring every song--and all of Arjona’s work--is his commanding voice, which maintains the difficult balance between steely determination and world-weary sentiment. A fine set of songs from a formidable singer. --Joey Guerra