In the wake of two straight years of consecutive hit singles by
Olga Tanon, from 1994 through 1995,
WEA Latina decided to capitalize on the burgeoning
merengue star's stock with a cash-in compilation,
Exitos y Mas, released just in time for the 1995 holiday season. It's a slightly odd collection, offering only eight hits (and not just her biggest ones, either -- no
"Entre la Noche y el Dia," for instance) and appending a lengthy
"Mega Mix" of her hits at the end. The hits include one from
Sola (
"Me Cambio por Ella" -- not really a hit, per se, but a good song nonetheless), three from
Mujer de Fuego (
"Contigo o sin Ti," "Presencie Tu Amor," and
"Se Que Vendras Llorando"), and four from
Siente el Amor... (
"Es Mentiroso," "Una Noche Mas," "Ya Me Canse," and
"Aun Pienso en Ti"). The
"Mega Mix" is mostly a novelty, something devoted fans will want to hear, but not something most will return to repeatedly. The
"Mega Mix" also appears as a heavily edited four-minute
"Radio Mix." Since
Exitos y Mas doesn't include all of
Tanon's hits to date, nor does it include anything extra beyond the
"Mega Mix" -- no newly recorded or previously unreleased songs, that is -- it's of marginal value, more as an oddity than anything. The subsequently released compilations
A Puro Fuego (2003) and
100% Merengue (2005) are highly preferable. ~ Jason Birchmeier
