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Vuelve is the fourth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on February 12, 1998, by Sony Discos and Columbia Records. Martin worked with KC Porter, Robi Draco Rosa, and Desmond Child to produce the album. Following the worldwide success of the song "Maria" from his previous album A Medio Vivir (1995), Martin returned to the studio and started recording material while on tour. Vuelve is a Latin record with Latin dance numbers and pop ballads. "María" also caught the attention of FIFA, who requested the artist to write an anthem for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Martin subsequently recorded "La Copa de la Vida" for the World Cup, composed by Porter, Rosa and Desmond Child.

Critics gave generally positive reviews of the album, praising its uptempo tracks and its production, though some criticized the over usage of ballads. Martin received several accolades, including the Best Latin Pop Performance at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. The album debuted at number one the US Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200. Martin's performance of "La Copa de la Vida" on the Grammy Awards was credited for boosting the record's sales. Certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it sold more than 888,000 copies in the United States making it the tenth best-selling Latin album in the country. The album reached number one in Norway, Portugal, and Spain. As of 2008, the album had sold over six million copies worldwide.

Vuelve spawned six singles: the title track "Vuelve", "La Copa de la Vida", "La Bomba", "Perdido Sin Ti", "Por Arriba, Por Abajo", and "Casi un Bolero". "Vuelve" and "Perdido Sin Ti" both reached number-one the Billboard Hot Latin Songs in the US while "La Copa de la Vida" became an international hit in both Europe and South America. To promote the album, Martin embarked on a concert tour where he performed in Asia, South America, and the United States.

Background
In 1995, Martin released his third studio album, A Medio Vivir. On the record, he made a shift from his traditional ballad-style compositions to a more risky fusion of music centered around traditional Latin sounds, epitomized by the song "Maria". Taken aback by the starkly different musical style, his record label executives felt that the song would ruin Martin's career. Despite this, "Maria" was chosen as the album's second single, and became a breakthrough hit, reaching number one in France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Turkey, and the entire continent of South America. As of 2014, the album had sold over three million copies worldwide. "Maria" caught the attention of FIFA, and contacted Martin in middle of his tours to write a composition for the 1998 World Cup; Martin subsequently recorded "La Copa de la Vida" which was composed by Porter, Rosa and Desmond Child. According to the VP of marketing at Sony Music Europe Richard Ogden, Martin was chosen by FIFA because he "exemplified all of the ideals that organizers of famed football (soccer) tournament wanted us to try to embody in music".

While on tour, Martin returned to the studio and started recording material for his fourth studio album. According to him, the experience of touring and recording at the same time was "brutal and incredibly intense". On December 7, 1997, Martin confirmed that he was finalizing his next project and that the album would be released on February the following year. He worked on the album with producers KC Porter and fellow ex-member of Menudo Robi Draco Rosa and recorded the album in various studios across the United States, Puerto Rico and Spain. The album's title, Vuelve, was announced on January 25, 1998. In an interview with CNN en Español, he emphasized that the album was going to "reaffirm the internationalization of my career and I know that it will help me a lot to destroy the stereotypes that may exist with my culture".

Composition
Vuelve is a Latin album composed of fourteen songs consisting mainly of "red-hot" Latin dance numbers and "melodramatic" pop ballads. The uptempo tracks "Lola, Lola" and "La Bomba" mix the musical styles of salsa and rumba with jazz, rock, and pop. On "Por Arriba, Por Abajo", Martin asks the saints to have his love interest dance with him. It is a samba-influenced track, accompanied by African chants and "wicked horn blasts". "La Bomba" is influenced by the Puerto Rican dance of the same name and lyrically discusses how the singer gets drunk from the rhythm. It also features Cuban musician Paquito Hechavarría on the piano. "Lola, Lola" is an uptempo number on which the singer sings about the women he desires. The title track, penned by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Franco De Vita, is a "sultry" love song that incorporates gospel music in which the narrator pleads his love interest to return as she gives meaning to his life. In an 2007 interview with Billboard, De Vita recalled that he was writing the song for ten years and was contacted by Martin to compose a track for the album. "Corazonado" and "Perdido Sin Ti" are both ballads with "aching, slower-paced narratives" with the latter track being a "bedroom staple with a dreamy hook and a simmering feel. "Casi un Bolero" ("Almost [Like] a Bolero") is a bolero where the artist is "obsessed with his own broken heart and threatening to die if his lover does not return". An instrumental version of the song was recorded for the album which serves as the closing track.

"Hagamos el Amor" ("Let's Make Love") is orchestrated ballad with a string arrangement and a "brooding" piano". "La Copa de la Vida" ("The Cup of Life"), the official theme for the 1998 World Cup, is a samba song featuring various instruments including bells, whistles, horns, trumpets, and percussion where the singer declares that life is a competition where one has to "dream to be the champ".  "Así es la Vida" ("That's Life") is "openly pop as its romantic" and includes a chorus in the background.  Martin recorded two cover songs in Spanish for the album: "Marcia Baila" and "Gracias por Pensar en Mi". The former track was originally performed by Les Rita Mitsouko and was a hit in France in the 1980s. "Gracias por Pensar en Mi" is an adaptation of "A Via Lactea" by Legião Urbana for their album A Tempestade, ou O Livro dos Dias (1996). It was written by Renato Russo months before he died of AIDS. "Gracias por Pensar en Mi" narrates from a person who is close to dying. The album also features the song "No Importa la Distancia", the Spanish-language version of "Go the Distance" by Michael Bolton from the movie Hercules. It was released as a single for the Latin American edition of Hercules soundtrack and peaked at number ten on the Latin Pop Airplay charts.

Singles


The title track was released as the album's first single on January 27, 1998. It became his first number-one song on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States. It became a top five hit in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Panama, and on the ballads chart in Mexico. It also reached number one in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela. The track was featured as the theme song for the Mexican telenovela Siin ti (1997). "La Copa de la Vida" was released as the second single on March 9, 1998. The song became an international success as it reached number one in Australia, Belgium (Wallonia), Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Germany, Italy, Panama, Spain, Nicaragua, Sweden, Switzerland Venezuela, as well as topping the European Hot 100 Singles chart. It also peaked at number two in Norway, the ballads chart in Mexico, and on the Hot Latin Songs chart in the US.

The third single, "La Bomba", was released on June 6, 1998; it reached number five in Spain, number 27 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and ranked on several charts in Europe and Australia. The album's fourth single, "Perdido Sin Ti", was released on August 18, 1998 and became his second number-one song on the Hot Latin Songs chart. "Por Arriba, Por Abajo", was the fifth single to be released from the album on November 3, 1998; it reached number 13 in Spain and number 33 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. The album's final single, "Casi un Bolero", was launched on December 21, 1998. "Corazonado" was released as a promotional single in the United States and peaked at number 20 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. Music videos were filmed for "Vuelve", "La Copa de la Vida", "La Bomba", "Perdido Sin Ti", and "Por Arriba, Por Abajo".

Release
Vuelve was first released by the Sony Music in Puerto Rico on February 12, 1998 where Martin was present for the album's launch. It was released on the same day in the United States, February 28 in Spain, and the following month in rest of Europe and Southeast Asia. To promote the record in the Asian markets, Sony Music Asia released a promo CD containing three versions of "María", as well as "The Cup of Life" (the English-language version of "La Copa de la Vida"). The album was launched on March 25 by Sony Music Japan to coincide Martin's advertisement campaign with Suzuki. The European edition of Vuelve includes the Spanglish version of "La Copa de la Vida" while the Australian adds the radio edit of "María" as well; neither features the instrumental rendition of "Casi un Bolero". The Japanese release includes the three aforementioned tracks. For the Asian market, it also adds two more remixes of "La Copa de la Vida" in addition to a remix of "La Bomba", the Spanglish rendition of "Casi un Bolero" and his previously-recorded songs "Corazón", "Dónde Estarás", and "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo" Martin advertised the record on Siempre en Domingo in Mexico and Hey Hey It's Saturday in Australia.

Tour
To further promote Vuelve, Martin embarked on a worldwide tour; he performed in South America, Asia, and the United States. The following day after releasing the album, Martin held two sold-out concerts at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico which housed 30,000 seats on February 13 and 14. In South America, he performed in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The shows in Venezuela and Peru was held as benefit concerts, the former as part of "A Venezuela Without Drugs" campaign, and the latter for "The Foundation for Children of Peru". He also participated in the second annual "Festival Presidente de Música Latino" in the Dominican Republic on June 26 where he was the top billing for the event. In Asia, he toured in China, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. A concert was planned for Indonesia, but was cancelled due to the riots at the time. In the United States, he performed at the Miami Arena in Miami, the Arrowhead Pond in Los Angeles, and Madison Square Garden in New York. His sold-out performance at the Arrowhead Pond grossed over $446,805 which landed at number ten on the Boxscore chart on November 7, 1998. For this achievement, Martin was presented with the Estrella del Pond Award by the concert's promoter Nederlander Organization. His show at Madison Square Garden grossed $632,180 and placed second on the Boxscore chart on November 10.

Martin was accompanied by a 14-piece band during his tour which included four backup vocalists as well as percussion and brass sections. His hour-and-45 minute show consisted of 17 tracks of uptempo numbers and ballads from Vuelve and his earlier career Aside from the tour, Martin sang "The Cup of Life" live on the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final in France, on the halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys-New England Patriots football game at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and the 1999 Grammy Awards. Billboard's Lannert criticized Martin's presentation in Puerto Rico for his uneven amount of slow-tempo and dance numbers as well as awkward pauses when changing outfits off-stage. The Los Angeles Times critic Ernesto Lechner felt that Martin "showcased his slick, masterfully composed pop material" at his show at the Arrowhead Pond but remarked that the artist "might have served himself and his fans better by performing a handful of nights at a more intimate venue than the Pond."

Critical reception
Vuelve was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic's Promis gave it three out of five stars and complimented that the record "effectively balances" between the dance tracks and the ballads. He cited "La Copa de la Vida" as the main highlighted and preferred the original version on the album than the English-language adaption. However, he found some of the ballads forgettable and called "No Importa la Distancia" "pure schmaltz". John Lannert of Billboard magazine compared Vuelve to A Medio Vivir as a "like-minded package of meaty, bitter-sweet romantic ballads and chest-pumping, upbeat numbers". He also noted that the uptempo tracks had the potential to be hit songs. Vilma Maldonado of The Monitor praised the record as "creative history and its production as "seamless". She found the hook on the title track to be "instant and unforgettable" and stated that "La Copa de la Copa" stands out the most. Writing for Vista magazine, Carmen Teresa Roiz described the record as a metamorphosis for the singer as she regarded it as a culmination of his music career in "all his splendor". On the San Antonio Express-News, Ramiro Burr remarked that Martin "took careful notes" following the success of "Maria" as Vuelve "continues in that same party fever vein but with more intensity". He complimented Porter being able to maintain the "right balance between the gorgeous R&B drive of the horn and high-energy pop rhythms" on the production and commented that the ballads "serve only as breaks from dancing". Burr's only complaint was the inclusion of "No Importa la Distancia" which he regarded as "sappy".

The Los Angeles Times's Lechner gave the album three-and-a-half out of four stars, commending Martin's ability to vocally "handle both ballads and up-tempo tunes". He admired "Hagamos el Amor" for its "sly use of the orchestral passages, passionate delivery, and an overall mood that belongs only to an album by a real artist" despite the title of the song. Lechner concluded that the album will "most likely survive the test of time". David Wild of Rolling Stone rated the record three out of five stars touted the record's "extremely polished and infectious Latin pop that's immediately accessible even to dogged English-speaking types". Miami Herald editor Leila Cobo wrote a positive review of Vuelve. She called the album a "collection of baila-able tunes interspersed with catchy pop ballads and felt that its arrangements make it "stand above the often heavily synthesized Latin pop fray" However, she criticized the title track as one of the weakest songs despite its success on the Hot Latin Songs chart and felt that the choruses were "irritating" as it overshadowed the singer's voice. Writing for The Dallas Morning News, Mario Tarradell complimented the artist for "showing a refreshing flair for diversity". He regarded the dance tunes "Lola, Lola", "La Bomba", and "Marcia Baila" as the best tracks in the album, but also highlighted the ballad tracks "Vuelve" and "Perdido Sin Ti". However, he stated the record "fell into excess", calling "No Importa la Distancia an "unwelcome dose of sugary pap" and the instrumental version of "Casi un Bolero" an "overkill".

Accolades
At the 10th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in 1998, the album received a nomination for Pop Album of the Year, but lost to Me Estoy Enamorando by Alejandro Fernández. At the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in 1999, Martin won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for Vuelve. At the 1999 Billboard Latin Music Award, it won Pop Album of the Year by a Male Artist, and El Premio de la Gente for Male Pop Artist or Group and Album of the Year at the Ritmo Latino Music Awards in the same year. In 2015, Vuelve was listed among Billboard's 50 Essential Latin Albums of the Past Years with an editor opined that "Pop and dance beats never sounded so good."

Commercial performance
In the United States, the record debuted on top of the Billboard Top Latin Albums the week of February 28, 1998, succeeding Me Estoy Enamorando. The disc spent twenty-six non-consecutive weeks in this position. Billboard's Lannert credited its success from Valentine's Day weekend sales. and peaked at number forty on the Billboard 200. Vuelve ended 1998 as the second best-selling Latin album (after Me Estoy Enamorando) and the best-selling Latin record the following year. On the Billboard 200 chart, it debuted at number 81. . A year after its release, sales of Vuelve boosted after Martin's performance of "La Copa de la Vida" at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. The rendition, along with anticipation of Martin's first English-language album, led to the record to peak at number 40 on the Billboard 200. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Vuelve has sold over 888,000 copies in the United States making it the tenth best-selling Latin album in the country. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over one million units. In Canada, it reached number three RPM and number 11 on the Canadian Albums Chart; it was certified double for shipping 200,00 copies in the country. The record was shipped over 1.5 million copies in Latin America, it was certified triple platinum in Argentina and Mexico and platinum in Peru and Uruguay.

Vuelve debuted atop the Spanish Albums Chart for the issue dated March 4, 1998. It was certified six-times platinum by Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE) denoting shipment of over 600,000 copies in the country. The album also peaked at number one on the Portuguese Albums Chart and received a platinum certification from Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP) denoting shipments of over 40,000 copies in the country. Vuelve debuted at number 34 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. In its fifth week on the chart, it peaked at number one and stayed on the top for three consecutive weeks. It became Martin's first number-one album in the country and was certified gold by IFPI Norway for selling over 25,000 copies in the country. In Sweden, Vuelve debuted at number 29 on the albums chart on April 10, 1998. After fluctuating on the chart for seventeen weeks, on July 31, 1998, it reached its peak at number two. The album was certified platinum by the Swedish Recording Industry Association (GLF) denoting shipments in the country of over 80,000 copies. It received a platinum certification from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) signifying sales of one million copies in Europe and as of 2006, shipped over 2.1 million copies in the region.

In Southeast Asia, the album was certified gold in Singapore and platinum in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand. In Malaysia the record reached number three on the albums chart while it peaked at number 19 Oricon Albums Chart and was certified gold in both countries. In Turkey, it was certified sextuple platinum for sales of 180,000 copies, making it the bestselling album in the country by an international artist. Vuelve shipped over one million copies in Asia and had sold more than six million copies worldwide as of 2008.

Personnel
Credits for Vuelve adapted from AllMusic.

Recording and mixing locations

 * Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles
 * Worldbeat Recording, Calabasas
 * Disney Studios, Burbank
 * Criteria Studios, Miami
 * South Beach Studios, Miami
 * Centlemania Club Studio, Miami
 * Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park
 * LAFX Studios, North Hollywood
 * After Hours Studios, Miami
 * The Bunny Hop Studios, Studio City
 * O'Henry Studios, Burbank
 * Circle House Studios, Miami
 * Capitol Studios, Hollywood
 * Eurosonic Studios, Madrid
 * Studio 56, Hollywood
 * Alpha Recording Studios, Puerto Rico
 * Tone King Studios, Hollywood

Musicians and technical

 * Michael Aarvold – mixing assistant
 * Andy Abaz – tres
 * Luis Aguino – percussion (Brazilian), trumpet
 * Josie Aiello – background vocals
 * Mike Ainsworth – mixing assistant
 * Rusty Anderson – acoustic guitar
 * Jonathan Antin – stylist
 * Iris Aponte – project coordinator
 * Karla Aponte – composer
 * Carmit Bachar – background vocals
 * Steve Bartek – orchestration
 * John Beasley – piano
 * Marcelo Berestovoy – acoustic guitar
 * Curt Bisquera – drums
 * Phillipe Bourgués – acoustic guitar
 * Chris Brooke – mixing assistant
 * Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, piano
 * Ed Calle – Metales
 * Kari Cameron – bass
 * Karl Cameron – engineer
 * David Campbell – orchestration
 * Chris Carroll – mixing assistant
 * Teresa Cassin – assistant engineer
 * Gloria Cheng – piano
 * Fred Chichin – composer
 * Desmond Child – arranger, composer, producer
 * Steve Churchyard – engineer
 * Tony Concepcion – multiple instruments
 * Luis Conte – percussion
 * Ricardo Cordero – background vocals
 * Joseph Lito Cortés – acoustic guitar, background vocals
 * Orion Crawford – arranger, orchestration
 * Franco De Vita – composer
 * David Dominguez – assistant engineer
 * G.B. Dorsey – background vocals
 * Bruce Dukov – concertmaster
 * Charles Dye – engineer, mixing
 * Luis Enrique – percussion
 * Luis Gómez Escolar – composer, Spanish adaptation
 * Benny Faccone – engineer, mixing
 * Kenneth Faulk – Metales
 * Robert Fernandez – engineer
 * Jesus "Chuy" Flores – engineer
 * Marco Flores – composer
 * Humberto Gatica – mixing
 * Jim Gilstrap – background vocals
 * Francisco Manuel – palmas
 * Ruiz Gómez – palmas
 * Rich Gomez – acoustic guitar
 * Jules Gondar – engineer
 * Paul Gordon – assistant engineer
 * Reggie Hamilton – bass
 * Katrina Harper – background vocals
 * Paquito Hechavarria – piano
 * Femio Hernández – engineer
 * Leo Herrera – mixing assistant
 * Bunny Hull – background vocals
 * Matt Hyde – engineer
 * Ingram – background vocals
 * Ethan James – Hurdy Gurdy
 * Jorge M. Jaramillo – assistant Engineer
 * Brian Jenkins – engineer
 * Mortonette Jenkins – background vocals
 * Marlena Jeter – background vocals
 * Maxine Jeter – background vocals
 * Jo Ann Kane – copyist
 * John Karpowich – engineer
 * Todd Keller – mixing assistant
 * Erik Kerly – French horn
 * Scott Kieklak – assistant engineer
 * John Kricker – trombone
 * Michael Landau – electric guitar
 * Cesar Lemos – arranger, composer
 * Gene Lo	Assistant – engineer
 * Manny López – guitar
 * Renato López – composer
 * John Lowson – engineer
 * Ángel "Angie" Machado – Brazillian percussion
 * Ricky Martin – primary artist, Spanish adaptation, background vocals
 * Peter McCabe – engineer
 * Ángelo Medina – associate producer
 * Alan Menken – composer
 * Dwight Mikkelsen – copyist
 * Lee Moore – stylist
 * June Murakawa – mixing assistant
 * Kristle Murden – background vocals
 * Kieran Murray – assistant engineer
 * René Juan De La Cruz Napoli – graphic design
 * Rick Nelson – background vocals
 * Carlos Nieto – engineer
 * Meia Noite – Brazillian percussion
 * Rafael Padilla – percussion
 * Rik Pekkonen – engineer
 * Tony Peluso – mixing
 * Archie Pena – arranger, percussion
 * Phil Perry – background vocals
 * Stella Petrova – background vocals
 * Darryl Phinnessee – background vocals
 * Alberto Pinto – assistant engineer
 * Jeff Poe – engineer
 * Javier Pontón – composer
 * Mike Porcaro – bass
 * KC Porter – arranger, composer, multiple instruments, electric piano, producer, programming
 * Luis Quine – mixing assistant
 * Leo Quintero – cuatro
 * John "J.R." Robinson – drums
 * Lázaro Rodriguez – guitar
 * Angelina Rosa – background vocals
 * Héctor Iván Rosa – engineer
 * Robi Rosa – arranger, background vocals, bass programming, composer, engineer, palmas, piano, producer
 * Juan Rosario – assistant engineer
 * Keith Rose – engineer
 * William Ross – orchestration
 * Bob Rothstein – mixing assistant
 * Renato Russo – composer
 * Iris Salazar – assistant engineer
 * Rafa Sardina – assistant engineer
 * Jeffrey Shannon – assistant engineer
 * Jackie Simley – background vocals
 * Bill Smith – assistant engineer
 * Travis Smith – mixing assistant
 * Rafael Solano – percussion
 * Luis Fernándea Soria – engineer
 * Stephanie Spruill – background vocals
 * Lance Staedler – photography
 * Ramón Stagnaro – acoustic guitar
 * Ted Stein – engineer
 * Neil Stubenhaus – bass
 * Sarah Sykes – project coordinator
 * Dama Taboe – Metales
 * Michael Thompson – guitar
 * Francisco "Pancho" Tomaselli – assistant engineer
 * Carmen Twillie – background vocals
 * Robert Valdez – assistant engineer
 * Camilo Valencia – arranger
 * Jose Luis Vega – background vocals
 * Danny Vicari – engineer
 * Esteban Villanueva – engineer, project coordinator
 * Luis Felipe Villanueva – assistant engineer
 * Randy Waldman – piano
 * Julia Waters – background vocals
 * Oren Waters – background vocals
 * Peter Yussi Wenger – acoustic guitar
 * John West – background vocals
 * Doc Wiley – engineer
 * Maxine Willard Waters – background vocals
 * Juan Vincente Zambrano – arranger, keyboards, programming
 * David Zippel – composer