Pop Music Reviews : A Colorless Jose Jose at Festive Concert

“Create fame and go to sleep” is an old Mexican saying that can be applied to Jose Jose’s performance on Friday at the Universal Amphitheatre, where he was the star attraction at an erratic but generally enjoyable Latin music concert benefiting World Vision.

In his 40-minute segment, the Mexican singer, accompanied entirely by backing tapes, concentrated on his most recent hits--such as “Un Hotel En Lugar de Corazon” (“A Hotel in the Place of a Heart”) and “Amnesia”--in a colorless performance.

A dramatic contrast was provided tradition-oriented Mexican singer Guadalupe Pineda, whose set featured first an impressive orchestra and then the Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez” that accompanied her during a series of rancheras including “Si Nos Dejan” (“If They Let Us”), a classic composition by the late Jose Alfredo Jimenez, and “Mujer Ladina” (“Shifty Woman”), the song made popular by the late singer Lucha Reyes.

Lola Beltran, the veteran singer from Sonora, Mexico, appears rarely in Los Angeles, and her performance was marked by spontaneity and a festive spirit. Colombian salsa and cumbia singer Wilkins exhibited his ability as a dancer in such songs as “Margarita,” but his impact was diminished by the use of backing tapes--not only for instrumental accompaniment, but also for at least some of his vocals. Venezuelan romantic balladeer Alvaro Torres, backed by a quintet, had more luck performing in his classic manner.

At the end of the concert, which drew about half a house to the 6,000-seat hall, all the performers returned to the stage to sing “Unamos Nuestro Corazon” (“Unite Our Hearts”), a composition by two of the leaders of World Vision, a Christian organization that aids children around the world.