I must admit I never was a fan of Timbiriche, the Mexican pop band that appeared in the early eighties in Mexico and Latinoamerica as a somewhat late response to the Spanish and Puerto Rican tornadoes called Parchis & Menudo.

I thought copying musical formats successful in other countries was a sure way to produce mediocre musical material. That my two tiny-bopper sisters were mad about them didn’t help a bit either. What was I to do if caught by my male friends with a CD also part of my little sisters’ collection? The thought was unimaginable and sent shudders down my spine.

Of course, being infatuated with foreign music also prevented me from appreciating their musical talent. So growing has a few advantages after all. I could finally listen to their music and judge it on its merits instead of just focusing on the band’s name.

How life loves ironies:

Now, long gone from Mexico and a resident of Los Angeles for almost two decades and it turns out that a very good friend of mine happens to be the music executive in charge of the PR for their LA appearance. All of a sudden, Timbiriche is back in my personal radar. I look nervously around looking for sign of my sisters –unconsciously still- and decide to exorcise my Timbiriche demons once and for all.

Are these guys for real? Obviously I could never find out before. Wait, what happened to Paulina? Well, considering her tantrum-prone personality perhaps is actually a good thing she’s not part of the bill.

But most likely you’ve got no interest in my personal problems and prejudices, probably –I must assume- you only care to get the facts about Timbiriche’s return. As we say in Spanish: ‘al pueblo, lo que pida’.

This is the bottom line about Timbiriche’s return: Timbiriche 25 marks the 25^th anniversary of the band’s debut in the entertainment world. Hard to believe these kids –many children of already well established actors, singers & performers- have been doing it for that long.

Although most now lead their own artistic solo careers, they managed to get together and produce an outstanding album that refreshes some of their most well liked hits. Except, the songs have been heavily reengineered to give them the proper musical update to make them palatable to modern ears.

The talents of the producers involved in this re-mix make it a temptation to check out the material: Alex Sintek, Aureo Baqueiro, Chetes, Vico Gutierrez, Mauri Stern and Graham Pleeth whose list of recording clients includes none other than Peter Gabriel among others.

Can you get excited about Timbiriche all over again, after leaving your teen angst behind? Yes you can, join Alix, Benny, Diego, Erik, Mariana (I assume Paulina’s replacement) and Sasha and vortex back to a time of bubble gum and innocence. Since time doesn’t turn back, our only option is to retreat back into memory… there, you’ll hear the ghosts of the words that haunted you as a kid: “Corro, vuelo, me acelero…”

For more info on Timbiriche’s tour schedule and personal appearances, check out www.timbiriche.com.mx or www.emimusic.com.mx