Vanesa Martín – Grandes éxitos
Anyone who writes songs for twenty years inevitably builds their own world. For Vanesa Martín, that is a world of sea breezes and late-night terraces, of letters that were never sent and feelings that would rather whisper than shout. “Grandes éxitos”, a double CD on Warner Music Spain, draws back the curtains on that universe and invites the listener to take their time wandering along its walls.
The singer, poet and songwriter was born in Málaga in 1980 and made her debut in 2006 with “Agua”. Three years later, Warner took her under its wing, followed by “Trampas”, “Cuestión de piel”, “Crónica de un baile”, “Munay”, “Todas las mujeres que habitan en mí” and “Siete veces sí”. This is a series of albums that earned her a loyal audience in Spain and Latin America, and a catalogue in which the pen carries as much weight as the voice. The quality of her writing is no coincidence: Martín writes like a poet, with images that linger and lines that sound like sentences from an old diary.
The concept behind this compilation is simple and therefore appealing. The songs are presented in chronological order, allowing listeners to follow her development from the young, somewhat timid sound of her beginnings to the confident, richer sound of her later years. Piano and acoustic guitar form the backbone, but the arrangements grow along with the years: strings are added, the rhythm becomes fuller, and her voice gains more colour and authority. That pure, clear voice remains the focal point, always close to the lyrics, never without a sense of drama.
Those who follow her more recent work will think of “Tenemos universo de sobra”, a song about souls recognising each other in another dimension, or “No nos supimos querer”, the duet with Joaquín Sabina on her album “Casa mía”. In these songs, she demonstrated that she moves freely between copla, bolero, bachata and electronica without losing her own distinctive tone. The fact that this later work appeared on another label means that this compilation mainly celebrates her Warner years, a limitation listeners should be aware of.
This is also where the downside of every compilation lies. A selection from twenty years leaves out the surprise of a cohesive album, and anyone who already owns all her records will find little that is new. The running order is also more of an archive than a dramatic progression, and the transitions from one era to another can be jarring.
Nevertheless, there is much to gain for those discovering her for the first time, or for anyone who wants to relive familiar old songs in one sitting. “Grandes éxitos” is a carefully selected journey through a career built on its own strength, with poetry as its compass. It is not a reinvention, but it is a warm and worthy retrospective that shows why her audience is still singing along after two decades. (7/10) (Warner Music)
