TAMPA - Juanes took his audience on a lyrical sojourn of his South American homeland Wednesday night and shared his passions - namely his daughter, wife and love - along the way.

The capacity crowd of 2,501 at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center clearly shared his convictions.

Superstar Latin heartthrob Juanes also
knows how to sing
By Ed Condran

Juanes almost seems too good to be true. The lanky, long-haired Colombian singer/songwriter is socially conscious, undeniably talented and good looking enough to give Antonio Banderas an inferiority complex.

Relaxing at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Juan Esteban Aristizábal -- better known for the contraction of his name, Juanes -- downed a glass of water while he greeted a small group of guests backstage.

Outside the sold-out 2,500-seat theater, throngs of fans were waving Colombian flags and screaming loud enough to pop a lung.

Colombian singer Juanes is quickly becoming the Bruce Springsteen of Latin rock. Not only is he wildly popular in Spanish-speaking countries around the world, he exhibits a moral conscience that compels him to sing about equal rights, justice, and a peaceful end to the decades-long guerilla conflict that has plagued his nation.

Juanes\'s latest album is the Grammy-nominated \'\'Mi Sangre" (\'\'My Blood"), a heartfelt cry against violence in Colombia and elsewhere. It is the singer- guitarist\'s third CD and has already spun off two No. 1 hits on Billboard\'s Hot Latin Tracks chart. \'\'Mi Sangre" features love songs that have further endeared him to his fanatical female audience, as well as anthemic tracks that teem with pop-rock hooks and pleas for brotherhood and understanding.

NEW YORK TIMES
By JON PARELES

If he weren\'t from Colombia, a country devastated by protracted civil strife, Juanes might have made a fine career simply with his love songs.
They are bright and catchy pan-American rock that can lope with the syncopations of Colombian cumbia or go bounding along like new wave rock. He sang plenty of them on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, proclaiming his passion, his loneliness or his longing for a lover\'s return. But he has more on his mind than romance, and so do his fans across the Spanish-speaking world.

BOSTON GLOBE
By James Reed, Globe Correspondent  |  March 8, 2005

A review of Juanes in concert almost writes itself. The Colombian rock star has come to Boston three times now, and each time the same thing happens. Let\'s roll the tape:

Latinos of all ages and genders hoist Colombian flags high in the air alongside a sea of cellphones presumably relaying the entire night\'s set to friends and family. And here\'s where much of the activity switches to mostly young women. They lift signs that read \'\'Esta Gringa Te Ama" (\'\'This American Girl Loves You"). They swivel their hips in the aisles beside women who could be their mothers. They nudge the security guard to scoot over so they can take photographs with their beloved rey in the background.

HE WAS BORN Juan Esteban Aristizabal in Medellin, Colombia, but is known to millions as just Juanes --- which really does sound more like the name of an international pop star, doesn\'t it?

Juanes hasn\'t scaled the mainstream U.S. charts, but that\'s one of the few things missing from his list of accomplishments. He has three highly regarded million-selling albums. He pulled a Ray Charles at the 2003 Latin Grammys, winning all five categories in which he was nominated, including album, record and song of the year. The album that took him to those heights, "Un Dia Normal" ("A Normal Day"), was also the biggest-selling Spanish-language album of 2003.

The Charlotte Observer
by: Mark Kemp

Just a handful of years ago, a huge Latin rock star such as Juanes, who sings in Spanish only, would not have come to a city like Charlotte. His record label would have sent him to Los Angeles, to New York City, to Miami, maybe to Atlanta.

Despite the dramatic surge in North Carolina\'s Hispanic population - nearly 400 percent during the 1990s and rising - the demand for Rock en Espa?ol in Charlotte is a recent phenomenon.

BY JORDAN LEVIN

Rocker Juanes discusses his feelings about big venues, playing live, songwriting, his favorite shows and what his little girl thinks of his music.

Colombian rocker Juanes hits the AmericanAirlines Arena tonight in his first arena tour, just off a sold-out show in New York\'s Madison Square Garden. He\'s come a long way since his burning solo debut, 2000\'s Fíjate Bien, garnered the unknown songwriter seven Latin Grammy nominations. Since then Juanes\' passion for both love songs and social themes like the violence in Colombia, his ability to mix pop-friendly melodies with rock ferocity, and his onstage charisma have made him Latin music\'s first real international rock star. He has also made a home in Miami with wife Karen Martinez and their 17-month-old daughter Luna, with a second child on the way.

Jim Abbott

SENTINEL POP MUSIC CRITIC

Is Juanes a sex symbol?

Let\'s ask the two young women in the lobby of Hard Rock Live before the Latin pop star\'s sold-out show on Wednesday.

On second thought, just watching them disassemble and cart off the nearly life-sized cardboard Juanes display is probably answer enough.