Quï Tan Lejos Está el Cielo

Sounds like … a flavorful combination of Santana, Los Lonely Boys, Los Super 7, Gypsy Kings, and traditional Spanish church musicAt a glance … this all-Spanish hits compilation sounds really good, but there's no reason to buy it if you already own Con Poder or Worship LiveTrack ListingCieloAlegríaCon PoderLa PalabraEstaré con ÉlCorazón de OroUn Dia a la VezMontañaAnte Tu PresenciaDanzo Como DavidDía a DíaCon Poder (en vivo)La Palabra (en vivo)Montaña (en vivo)

Since first debuting in 2000, Latin pop/rock powerhouse Salvador has exploded on many levels, releasing album after album of top-notch material, perfecting their red-hot live show, and gaining tons of fans in the process. Salvador has the magnetism to draw any crowd to its feet—regardless of their ethnic background, and regardless of the venue, be it a Promise Keepers event, a Billy Graham crusade, or a summer festival. But the band's real breakthrough—at least from an airplay perspective—came in 2004, when Salvador chose "Heaven" (first popularized by Los Lonely Boys) to radio stations nationwide.

In many respects, it was the hit-bound single that served as the catalyst for Que Tan Lejos Está el Cielo, the band's newest Spanish-language offering. If you happen to speak español, you'll realize the title is culled from the line, "How far is heaven?" and, fittingly, the Spanish translation of this song kicks off the album.

But don't be deceived. "Cielo" is the only new song in this set, and it's merely a live version of the track. Everything else is lazily lifted from other Salvador projects, particularly from Con Poder and Worship Live, two albums that need not be improved upon. This makes the Cielo album a strange mixture of rehashed recordings from off and onstage. The track order is fine and the record as a whole sounds good, but do we really need it?

This slapdash "hits" compilation is unnecessary from a fan's standpoint. There's really no sense in warming them over and re-serving them up, unless you speak Spanish and you're brand-new to the flavorful gusto of Salvador's eclectic studio output and their fiery live show.