Pinta Mi Mundo

It isn't uncommon for critics of los Acosta to complain that most of their albums are unchallenging. But then, complaining that Pinta Mi Mundo ("Paint My World") and other los Acosta discs are unchallenging is sort of like complaining that Celine Dion doesn't sound anything like Courtney Love. Los Acosta never claimed to be los Tigres del Norte; their specialty is smooth, polished, urbane mood music, and Pinta Mi Mundo is a pleasing example of what they do. This 2009 release offers few surprises, but there are plenty of die-hard los Acosta fans who will no doubt want a copy anyway — and those die-hard fans will be glad to know that lead singer Ricardo Acosta hasn't lost his touch. He remains a charismatic, expressive gem of a frontman whose ethereal, Aaron Neville-ish voice does a lot to make los Acosta have such an appealing sound. Los Acosta play it much safer than they need to, but even so, Ricardo Acosta's voice is a major plus on sleek grupero/Latin pop ear candy like "Pienso en Ti" ("I'm Thinking About You"), "Fantasia" ("Fantasy"), "Mi Amor No Ha Muerto" ("My Love Hasn't Died"), and "Me Dijeron" ("They Said to Me"). Ricardo Acosta, in fact, is such an appealing singer that he has a way of making listeners think that albums that are merely good are great — and that is the case with Pinta Mi Mundo. The material on this 31-minute CD is decent but not great, although Ricardo Acosta's vocals certainly sound great. He is one of the main reasons why hardcore fans keep buying los Acosta albums year after year, and those hardcore fans will enjoy Pinta Mi Mundo even though it isn't among the group's essential releases., Rovi