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Sophie's Choice

Your decision: Marx or Secada?

A A A Comments By Rich Lopez Thursday, May 1 2008

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In one corner, you have an uno-hit Latino singer with a pretty decent song. In the other, a multi-hit wonder with a lot of hair. So which to choose? That depends on your pseudo-nostalgic pop needsâ - or your desperation. Secada's "Just Another Day" was a listenable 1992 hit that predated that whole Latino music wave of pop hooks and ethnically named artists. Subsequent hits pretty much weren't, but he did play Danny Zuko in Grease, so show tunes are a possibility. Plus, according to Wikipedia, he's a big Republican, so McCain props might be in store. Richard Marx hit his stride in the late '80s, a shade before Secada but with much more success. A bunch of saccharine ballads like "Right Here Waiting" swooned brides and prom dates while a bunch of hairspray killed the ozone. Interestingly, he won a Grammy for writing a Luther Vandross song, but none for his own. Even more interesting, I owned both of their debut CDs and now, after that admission, I must live in exile. Secada performs Saturday at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., while Marx kicks it simultaneously in Grapevine at the Glass Cactus, 1501 Gaylord Trail. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com. The choice is a soft-pop conundrum - can there be a winner?
Sat., May 10, 2008