Available in both 14-track and 32-track versions,
Exiliados en la Bahia: Lo Mejor de Mana fills a void, offering up the first major
Mana "best-of" set since
Esencials landed in 2003. Of course, that series was big and conceptual, dividing the rock en espanol pioneers' work into three themed discs with rare tracks mixed in. Here, it's two new cuts -- an excellent, heartfelt take of
Juan Gabriel's "Hasta Que Te Conoci" plus the uplifting "Un Nuevo Amanecer," a campfire singalong that grows into a full-bodied power ballad -- and then on to the hits and career-defining moments. The sequence of "Labios Compartidos" (epic fan favorite), "Bendita Tu Luz" (sweet bachata with
Juan Luis Guerra), and then "Mariposa Traicionera" (sexy and spicy with the delicate butterfly as a metaphor for love and loss) is the versatile beauty of the band in three easy pieces, while elsewhere, there's the punkish reggae-rock ("Clavado en un Bar") they're prone to break out, plus a slight taste of their soft and grand '80s sound ("Rayando el Sol") back when they were saying goodbye to new wave, the
Polygram label, and their original name,
Sombrero Verde. Some early, arguably lesser hits are missing, and with two decades of Grammy-winning, platinum-selling, and massively influential work to choose from, fans can argue about what's omitted and still have a hard time topping this solid track list. An easy introduction for newcomers or a portable hits set for fans,
Exiliados en la Bahia is the superstar "best-of" done right. ~ David Jeffries
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