Alejandro Fernandez : Corazon Abierto (Bonus Track) (Ltd) (Jewl) (Enh)

  Alfredo Oliva - Concert Comedienne
  Aureo Baqueiro - Percussion, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes
  Beto Dominguez - Percussion
  Dana Teboe - Trumpet
  Daniel Betancourt - Keyboards
  Daniel Ortega - Guitar (Electric)
  Fernando de Santiago - Vihuela
  Francisco Carlos - Requinto
  Jason Carder - Trumpet
  Kike Santander - Guitar (Acoustic), Spanish Guitar
  Manny Lopez - Guitar (Acoustic)
  Marco Antonio Santiago - Guitarron
  Miami Symphonic Strings - Strings
  Milton Salcedo - Piano, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes
  Novi Novag - Viola
  Pancho Ruiz - Bass (Electric)
  Pepe Damian - Drums
  Ramiro Teran - Choir, Chorus
  Richard Bravo - Percussion
  Rodrigo Cardenas - Bass
  Vicky Echeverri - Choir, Chorus
  Wendy Pederson - Choir, Chorus

On A Corazon Abierto Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernandez returned to Latin pop music for the first time in four years. Despite several album releases in the meantime, including Origenes (2001), Un Canto de Mexico (2002), Nina Amada Mia (2003), En Vivo: Juntos por Ultima Vez (2003), and Zapata: El Sueno del Heroe (2004), Fernandez chose with each to focus on traditional Mexican music, particularly the ranchera style with which he had begun his career. Prior to A Corazon Abierto, the last pop album by Fernandez was Entre Tus Brazos (2000), a chart-topping collaboration with producer/songwriters Emilio Estefan, Jr., and Kike Santander, who three years earlier had helmed his mainstream breakthrough, Me Estoy Enamorando (1997), a blockbuster pop-crossover effort that spawned four Billboard chart-topping hit singles. Consequently, the release of A Corazon Abierto was something of an event, a much-hyped return to pop by Fernandez that was either long awaited (by those who enjoy his pop efforts) or unwelcomed (by those who would prefer that he remain focused on traditional Mexican music). Regardless of your preference, there's no question that A Corazon Abierto is exceptionally well crafted and graced with numerous first-rate songs. While Estefan is a no-show this time around, Santander plays a major role in the outcome of A Corazon Abierto. Not only does he produce the album alongside Aureo Baqueiro ; he also is credited with writing five of the 12 songs. The production of Santander is key to the success of A Corazon Abierto. Glossy and multi-layered, his production work is broadly appealing and well suited to the pop-crossover market, yet at the same time, it remains firmly rooted in ranchera and other regional Mexican styles long associated with Fernandez and his father, Vincente Fernandez. Another key to the success of A Corazon Abierto is the stable of songwriting talent on hand. In addition to Santander, the album boasts the songwriting of Leonel Garcia (of the Latin pop duo Sin Bandera ), Gian Marco, Jaime Flores, and Reyli Barba (aka Reyli ), each among the best Latin pop songwriters of his day. The result is a batch of well-crafted songs, particularly the hit singles 'Me Dedique a Perderte,' 'Canta Corazon,' 'Que Voy a Hacer con Mi Amor,' and 'Que Lastima.' If Fernandez sounds less in command of the music, that's simply the nature of a blockbuster pop album such as this, where the producers and songwriters are arguably as key to the success of the album as the vocalist. Relative to his previous pop albums, though, Fernandez sounds more at ease on A Corazon Abierto, as if he's truly enjoying himself and singing from the heart. That he sounds more at home makes A Corazon Abierto perhaps his best pop album to date. Granted, it's not a monumental release the way Me Estoy Enamorando was back in 1997, breaking Fernandez into the Latin pop mainstream as it did and establishing him as a crossover star in the process. But it's arguably a better album overall, in no small part because it's more respectful of his roots, and was well worth the wait for fans of Fernandez the hitmaker. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

As adventuresome as it is romantic, A Coraz¢n Abierto reunites Alejandro with Grammy-winning producer & songwriter Kike Santander, who penned his greatest hits from 'Me Estoy Enamorando.' But it also finds him singing the songs of a bold new generation of songwriters, including Gian Marco (Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan), Leonel Garc¡a-one half of pop duo Sin Bandera--, Reyli Barba (former member of pop band Elefante) & Mexican group Tres de Copas.