At the very least, there’s no Bieber to clown it up…

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Thomas Inskeep: The great Selena’s “Si Una Vez” is a classic. The mariachi track, never released as a single from her 1994 album Amor Prohibido, is nonetheless much-loved by fans and has been covered by everyone from reggaeton star Ivy Queen to indie band Girl in a Coma. Now production duo Play-N-Skillz (Grammy winners for their work on Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’” and Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III) have taken a stab at “Si Una Vez,” delivering both Spanish- and English-language versions. Said English version still rides a gently bumping reggaeton-pop rhythm, with bilingual singers Frankie J and Becky G (a/k/a Trini!) duetting and Kap G providing the rap bridge. This is sweetly sung, well-executed Latin pop, and it sounds great every time.
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Leah Isobel: Listen to the original “Si Una Vez” and hear the grit, the fire, the passion, and the sheer control that Selena brought to the song. Then listen to this bloodless, generic tropidance cover and wonder how on earth we ended up here.
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Ryo Miyauchi: As competent as Play-N-Skillz touch up the original for the modern dance floor, letting two dudes (three, if you count Wisin on the Spanish version) be in charge of reviving a Selena song about cutting ties is not smart. The narrative may be similar, but the difference in narrator matters: while Selena sings from the perspective of a neglected jewel, what I hear from Frankie J, and more so Kap G, is more masculine pettiness.
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Stephen Eisermann: It’s hard, man. It’s so hard not to look harshly on this song because the original is such a masterpiece and because Selena will always be revered so highly in Mexican culture. It’s nice hearing Frankie J again and his voice appears to be in great shape, and Becky certainly doesn’t bring the song down. But if you listen to the original “Si Una Vez,” Selena imbues the song with such passion that you’re angry with her ex, too, even if the song’s lyrics give you zero reason to be. Here, Becky and Frankie J just throw runs at each other without any emotional weight. It’s not mean, it’s not angry, it’s not fun… it’s not Selena.
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Micha Cavaseno: Pop-reggaeton is not the turn of events I was expecting by any means. There’s also a bit of weird sandwiching here — far be it from someone who’s not even fully Puerto Rican to police Latin artists getting a paycheck, but Atlanta rapper Kap G (of Mexican descent) being swapped out for Wisin is a bit of a bizarre choice, and likewise the Leslie Grace (Dominican) & Becky G (Mexican) swap-out. While I actually prefer Kap as a rapper, recent news of how badly the traditional music mainstream is treating Latin music makes me wonder how Play-N-Skillz justify such a blatant play for visibility. But, industry paranoia aside, “Si Una Vez” in either its traditional or “Spanglish” (… ha) version is the kind of pop song the world deserves to hear more of, and it’s still well-crafted enough that no matter who the players are, you get a lovely experience.
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Anaïs Escobar Mathers: I love a good Selena cover, and this is just that. I prefer the Spanish version just for the energy Wisin brings in his rapping but this one is lifted up by Becky G’s vocals which gave me chills. La Reina would approve.
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