一聽音樂網

The fourth Soraya greatest-hits compilation released by Universal Latino in a year's span, Herencia certainly is less than necessary. It practically mirrors the track listing of her éxitos Eternos collection, though thankfully it does resequence the songs chronologically and offer more appealing packaging, while adding one more song (the pricier Deluxe Edition adds yet more and is recommended if you don't mind paying a little extra). The release of Herencia, it's safe to say, was triggered by her tragic passing on May 10, 2006, at the young age of 37. That's reason enough to get product like this out in the market, since there was a heightened interest in Soraya in the wake of her passing. But anyone who already has a satisfying amount of her Universal catalog will find nothing new here on Herencia. It compiles the highlights of her three albums for the label: En Esta Noche (1996), Torre de Marfil (1997), and Cuerpo y Alma (2000) (discounting On Nights Like This, which is an English-language version of her debut and is not featured here). If you're unfamiliar with Soraya's back catalog, here's the short of it: Those three albums for Universal are all good, but not so good that you need them in their entirety. A greatest-hits compilation will be suitable, since there are only three albums' worth of highlights to compile (that is, out of 33 songs total across those albums). In terms of compilations, you have three different approaches: the budget-line 20th Century Masters sampler (ten songs), the single-disc éxitos Eternos and Herencia (14 and 15 songs, respectively), and the double-disc Gold (24 songs -- pretty much her entire 33-song Universal catalog, except all shuffled up). Choose accordingly, weighing cost and how much of Soraya's catalog you think you need. Lastly, it's important to remember that Soraya did leave Universal for EMI International, where she recorded a couple more albums. Her EMI material came in the wake of her initial cancer diagnosis, so it carries a bit more emotional weight than these early recordings. Consider those albums as well, though you're recommended to start here with her early work for Universal. [The Deluxe Edition adds a DVD including seven videos and some other bonus material. It also appends a pair of remixes.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide