Album Review: Amor Prohibido by Selena, 30 years later

By Derek Torres

Music Journalist

The last album Amor Prohibido, which rising Tejano star Selena released while alive, was reissued with a remaster 30 years to its initial date on March 22. Popularity from the project was garnered from all over and earned her a Grammy for “Best Mexican/American Album.” The release was dubbed Selena’s “best work” for being number one on the Top Latin Album chart and her and the band’s first Tejano album to do so. Once again fans and listeners alike can experience the varying sounds and beauty of Amor Prohibido this time more modernized with the help of its remastered version. This is also the first time it will be getting a vinyl release!

Coming in at 10 tracks, only missing the collab with the Barrio Boyzz, it remains a short listen with iconic songs. Right off the bat the title track “Amor Prohibido” is upbeat and contains vibrant instrumentals and a powerful voice that sets up the album’s overall tone.

The range of sounds from a ballad such as “No Me Queda Más” to a song vastly different from it like the get-up and move “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” However, while all tracks may have a consistent style, most stray from the typical formula of love songs and reach for a deeper theme of women’s struggles. Overall, Selena demonstrated the strength of her voice with lyrical aid from her brother, A.B., which pushed her closer to stardom.

Comparing the remastered version to the original I grew up with is subtle, yet there is a significant difference. Those who have known Selena’s work for a long time can pick out the changes made to the tracks. Tiny details such as the change in instrumental for “No Me Queda Más” and “El Chico Del Apartamento 512” tip the balance with her voice. Speaking of her voice, it seemed a little compressed, perhaps being altered as heard before in her previous posthumous album MOONCHILD MIXES. It is great to re-release Amor Prohibido to pay homage to Selena and the band’s work as well as bring back fans, but the remastered version lacks the spark that made it originally successful.

I am a die-hard Selena (y Los Dinos) fan through and through, but I do not like enhancing a once-popular work. The legacy of the band’s fame, especially for Selena, will continue to influence future artists even without pushing something new from older sounds. Changing minute details is better to appreciate when it fully produces a whole new take on the album. I think it is fitting for Selena’s next posthumous release Dreaming of You where it will be more impactful, as it has an emotional surrounding in part to her passing.

Do not let my opinion sway you from giving the remastered version a chance! I want to show appreciation for the original and doing that makes celebrating the anniversary and its retouched version a full-circle moment. It is amazing to have Selena’s work be a staple in the Latinx community and re-establish the artist we call Selena in modern times.