Indie/alt-rock singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas’s second album, released in 2000, is one of the best rock en español albums of its era. She wrote all the material herself except for a cover of Juan Gabriel’s “Siempre en Mi Mente,” and it was produced by a team that included Latin alt-rock kingmaker Gustavo Santaolalla, US-based producer Joe Chiccarelli, and Emmanuel del Real Díaz and Enrique Rangel of Café Tacuba, who also played on the album. Venegas plays guitar, various keyboards (piano, synth, and Wurlitzer), and accordion on the record. The songs are mostly recorded in a fairly conventional indie-rock style, built around guitar and big melodic hooks, with the focus on her clear but passionate voice, but unexpected combinations of instruments (“Casa Abandonada” features accordion, tuba, synth and violin) keep your attention throughout. The version of “Siempre en Mi Mente” starts out set to a ticking drum machine beat, with a bell-like keyboard ringing out at regular intervals, but rises to a powerful chorus.

– Phil Freeman