“Looking at the last three years like I did, I could never see us, ending like this…” And I am pretty sure neither did the thousands of fans who have been waiting in anticipation for the last three years. What did Enrique Iglesias spend three years on? Well, if the CD insert is anything to go by he spent it on sleepless nights and restless days, creating his fourth English studio album – Insomniac.

“Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)” is the first single off of Insomniac and has received international airplay, and for good reason. Whatever happened to Enrique in the time that it took him to write this album, it has made him a more sentimental. This song is catchy pop, as can be expected, but if you delve deeper you find lyrics haunted by a sense of real love, real hurt and real loss. Despite the song’s sad lyrics, it would appear Enrique is not without a sense of humour; the percussion on the track is created by a bouncing ping pong ball – hence the name. Enrique also teams up with Lil’ Wayne for the R&B duet, “Push”, an antagonistic and steamy song which seems a little out of place on an album which generally creates an impression of vulnerability. On “Push”, along side the American rapper, Enrique suddenly becomes the aggressive protagonist, where on the rest of the album he is the frail and unnerved lover.

The second international single to be released from Insomniac is the cover of the indie band Ringside’s “Tired of Being Sorry”. His version is pretty true to the original with the addition, to the original Latino beats and guitars, of some peppier synth pop sounds, making the track a more contemporary pop song. “Tired of Being Sorry” is a cover and doesn’t really stand out in the mainstream mix, which makes me wonder about its legitimacy as the second international single. In my personal opinion they should have released the beautiful lament that is “Stay Here Tonight”, as the second single. “Hero” topped many charts across the globe, which is why it makes sense to continue capitalising on its success by including it on a subsequent album as a bonus track, but the Thunderpuss remix of the track is much like “Push”, out of place. Although an interesting and good remix, its almost house/trance sound falls short of the impact Insomniac makes as a sentimental album.
The album also contains three Spanish songs; strong and powerful translations of “Do You Know” (“Dimelo”), “Somebody’s Me” (“Alguien Soy Yo” ) and “Tired of Being Sorry” (“Amigo Vulnerable”).

Insomniac is excellently produced and with the exception of one or two songs that seem out of place (which ensures the album surprises with the first listen, I guess), you can’t help but get the sense that it is also experimental. “Sweet Isabel” is one of those songs that create the impression that with this album Enrique experimented with some new sounds. A stunning song with a more rock sound, combined with violins and harmonies, resulting in a sweet, sweet delight. Insomniac is the culmination of three years’ stress, strain and passion for perfection; raw emotions which surface throughout the album and sentiments which are woven into the music and lyrics. But for those of us that weren’t part of the three years of anguish and sleepless nights it took to create the album, for those of us on the receiving end of the final product… for us it is three years well spent.