In support of her comeback smash hit album
Tarántula (2008),
Mónica Naranjo mounted a concert tour whose Madrid date is documented on the live album
Stage. Released on CD/DVD, the album opens with a selection of her early hits performed in the electro-rock style of
Tarántula. Interestingly, she revisits her first three albums --
Mónica Naranjo (1994),
Palabra de Mujer (1997), and
Minage (2000) -- while eschewing
Chicas Malas (2001), the much-maligned album that led to her seven-year sabbatical. Three songs from
Palabra de Mujer ("Desatame," "Entender el Amor," "Pantera en Libertad"), two from
Minage ("Perra Enamorada," "Sobreviviré"), and one from her eponymous debut ("Solo Se Vive una Vez") are refashioned with slashing electric guitar, hard-hitting beats, and a sense of ferocious attack. With the exception of "Sobreviviré" as the grand finale, all of these early hits open the show. Then, beginning with "Usted,"
Naranjo works her way through the heart of
Tarántula. She performs eight songs in a row from the album, concluding with the highlights "Amor y Lujo" and "Europa," the latter of which is nearly as tremendous on-stage as the album version. The audio recording quality of
Stage is near-perfect, and while the DVD version is preferable for the addition of its visual component, the CD is perfectly suitable for fans. Indeed, devoted
Naranjo fans will want to hear
Stage, particularly the refashioned electro-rock versions of her early hits. Not only is she in fine form;
Stage is only her second live release to date, and its
Tarántula-era set list is in sharp contrast to Tour Minage (2005), which had been recorded on the supporting tour of
Minage almost a decade earlier, prior to her sabbatical.