The New York Times-20080128-A Pan-American Welcome to Warm the Corazon- -Review-

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A Pan-American Welcome to Warm the Corazon; [Review]

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Alejandro Sanz strolled onstage at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, smiling appreciatively, maybe a little sheepishly. One of Spain's biggest pop stars, he is a first-rate balladeer who has gradually expanded his reach, experimenting with the rich rhythms that have long underpinned even his gentlest love songs.

In this country his biggest crossover hit is La Tortura, a reggaeton collaboration with Shakira, which made it to No. 23 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. But in another sense he has been crossing over for more than a decade, converting listeners throughout the Americas. On Friday night, when he introduced his band, the Dominican and Puerto Rican musicians received some of the loudest applause. All night fans wiggled past security to present Mr. Sanz with flags from Peru and Spain and points in between.

Early on he sang Corazon Partio, a lilting slow jam that remains one of his biggest hits. Actually he only sang part of it; the audience did the rest, adding a roaring descant to the low notes and joining Mr. Sanz for the high ones. Then, near the end, Marc Anthony appeared onstage, although the two men did more hugging than singing together. (Throughout the show fans peered up into the box seats where Mr. Anthony was installed. And yes, his wife was there too.)

In 2006 Mr. Sanz released El Tren de los Momentos (Warner Music Latina), a bold but somewhat uneven album that includes funk jams and hip-hop hybrids. He also toys with a more conversational delivery; that's what drives A la Primera Persona, a highlight of the album, and of the show. It's a desperate, ranting love song that grows less comforting as Mr. Sanz's voice grows more ardent. He is pledging devotion to the next woman in his life, which surely isn't good news for the current one. (In the music video he has just been evicted by his girlfriend.)

Female fans kept rushing the stage, guards kept dragging them off, and Mr. Sanz kept smiling. Nearly 20 years into his career, he sounds as if he is just settling in.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Alejandro Sanz, one of Spain's biggest pop stars, sang Friday. (PHOTOGRAPH BY RAHAV SEGEV FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)