Aries (album)

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Aries
A man wearing a white shirt is front of the camera and laying down.
Studio album by Luis Miguel
Released June 22, 1993 (1993-06-22)
Recorded 1992–93
Genre Latin pop
Length 44:31
Language Spanish
Label WEA Latina
Producer Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel chronology
América & En Vivo
(1992)América & En Vivo1992		 Aries
(1993)		 Segundo Romance
(1994)Segundo Romance1994
Singles from Aries
  1. "Ayer"
    Released: May 17, 1993
  2. "Hasta Que Me Olvides"
    Released: August 1993
  3. "Suave"
    Released: September 1993

Aries is the ninth studio album by Mexican recording artist Luis Miguel. It was released by WEA Latina on June 22, 1993. After attaining success in 1991 with his previous album, Romance, Miguel decided to record an album of original recordings rather than a follow-up to Romance. Aries, which is similar to his earlier work prior to Romance, features pop ballads and dance numbers with R&B influences. The record was produced by Miguel, who was assisted by Kiko Cibrian, Rudy Pérez, David Foster, and Juan Luis Guerra.

Upon its release, Aries received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics; they were divided on the dance tunes and ballads, although Miguel's vocals and the album's arrangements garnered positive reactions. The record peaked at number one on the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums, where it stayed for 19 weeks. Internationally, the album was certified triple platinum in Mexico, where it sold over one million copies. It was also certified diamond in Argentina. Aries has sold over two million copies worldwide as of 2000. Miguel received several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.

Three singles were released to promote the album. Its first two singles, "Ayer" and "Hasta Que Me Olvides", topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart while "Suave" peaked at number nine on the chart. "Hasta el Fin" and "Tu y Yo" both peaked at number four on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and "Pensar en Ti" received airplay in Mexico. To further promote the record, Miguel launched the 1993 Aries Tour to some Latin American countries and the United States.

Background and recording

File:Nanci y Rudy.JPG
Rudy Pérez (pictured right) wrote four of the album's tracks including "Ayer", the Spanish adaption of David Foster's "All That My Heart Can Hold".

In 1991 Miguel released his eighth studio album Romance, a collection of classic boleros, the oldest of which originated in the 1940s. The album, which was produced by Armando Manzanero and arranged by Bebu Silvetti,[1] was a success in Latin America and sold over seven million copies worldwide.[2][3] It revived interest in the bolero genre and was the first record by a Spanish-speaking artist to be certified gold in Brazil, Taiwan, and the United States.[3] In spite of Romance's success, Miguel did not want to release an immediate follow-up to the album.[4] When asked why he chose not to record more boleros, he replied "I wanted to try my music, just forgetting a little bit about those boleros that everyone knows".[5] He began working with the composers for the album a year before recording in a studio in 1992 because he wanted to "discuss the works, the themes, and melodies; ... The creation of an album has to part of me or else I would not be able to interpret it, or in it", Miguel said.[6]

In August 24, 1992, Mexican newspaper El Siglo de Torreón reported that Miguel had begun collaborating with David Foster and Juan Carlos Calderón for their compositions, along with Anglo composers, and selecting cover versions for the album.[7] He also received assistance from Cuban composer Rudy Pérez and Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra with the songwriting.[6] Recording began on July 4, 1992.[8] Miguel had difficulty finding a suitable producer for the record; he initially worked with American audio engineer Bruce Swedien, but decided to re-record the whole album after disagreements with Swedien's direction. Unable to find a producer, he decided to co-produce the album with his long-time associate Kiko Cibrian [5] Recording the album took almost a year and was affected by several complications, including its high budget of over US$1.5 million, his father's death, and undergoing an appendectomy.[4] Miguel announced the name of the album would be Aries during a presentation at the 1993 Festival Acapulco.[9] About the naming of the album he said, "This album expresses my very personal way. I had a lot to do. I produced everything and wanted to have a lot of fun, take what I like, and what better than the zodiacal sign representing what one is."[10]

Composition

Ten tracks—six of which are "romance-themed" ballads—comprise the final cut of Aries.[11] The rest of the album consists of four dance numbers with a "pop groove" and R&B influences, which are reminiscent of Miguel's earlier recordings before Romance.[4][12] Miguel said the mixture of ballads and uptempo music was done to "keep a steady musical line" because he did not want his music to be unrecognizable.[5] The dance tunes "Suave", "Dame Tu Amor", and "Que Nivel de Mujer" are "upbeat, brass-heavy, attitudinal numbers" while "Luz Verde" incorporates Latin hip hop and R&B.[11] "Suave" features a saxophone solo with American musician Kirk Whalum and "Que Nivel de Mujer" is a Spanish-language adaptation of "Attitude Dance" by American band Tower of Power. The band members assisted with the horn section in the song, which was led by one of its lead members Emilio Castillo.[6] Miguel said he included the band's song on the album because of his fondness for R&B in the 1970s, citing the group as one of his musical influences.[5]

"Ayer" is a Spanish-language cover of David Foster's instrumental "All That My Heart Can Hold" with additional lyrics by Rudy Pérez.[4][13] San Antonio Express-News editor Ramiro Burr described the song as a "lush ballad sung by Miguel in his stylistic romantic swagger that simultaneously conveys pride and pain".[14] Similarly, John Lannert wrote for the Sun-Sentinel that the track was comparable to Romance's "sparse lyrical muse and smooth musical backdrop".[12] Lannert also called Juan Luis Guerra's composition "Hasta Que Me Olvides" an "emotion-drenched love ode" and referred "Me Niego Estar Solo" and "Hasta El Fin" as "desperate confessionals about being out of love".[15] Achy Obejas of the Chicago Tribune described the ballads "Hasta El Fin" and "Tu y Yo" as "luxuriantly slow narratives of love lost".[16]

Singles and promotion

"Ayer" was released as the lead single from Aries on May 17, 1993.[17] It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States the week of July 17, 1993, and stayed there for three weeks.[18] Three music videos for "Ayer" were directed by Benny Corral, Rubén Galindo, and Gustavo Garzón respectively.[19] The music videos were filmed in a mansion in Mexico City.[20] "Ayer" ended 1993 as the sixth-best-performing Latin song of the year in the United States.[21] Thye album's second single, "Hasta Que Me Olvides", was released in August 1993 and reached number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart the week of October 23, and remained there for three weeks.[18] The album's third single, "Suave", was released in September 1993 and peaked at number nine on the Hot Latin Songs chart;[22][23] its music video was directed by Kiko Guerrero and features Miguel dancing with several women on a beach.[24][25] In the United States, "Hasta el Fin" and "Tu y Yo" both peaked at number four on the Hot Latin Songs chart. "Pensar en Ti" received airplay in Mexico.[23][26]

To promote the album, Miguel began his Aries Tour on May 22 at the 1993 Acapulco Festival in Mexico.[27] After his performances in Mexico, he toured several countries in Latin America beginning with Argentina and later performed in the United States.[28] His set list consisted mainly of pop songs and ballads from Aries and his earlier career, as well as boleros from Romance, which he performed during the second half of the concerts.[29]

Commercial reception

Aries was released internationally on June 22, 1993.[14] However, pirated cassettes of the album were being sold for $1 in Mexico ten days before Aries was officially released.[5] WEA Latina prepared 500,000 copies to be distributed on release date, but after finding legitimate copies of the compact disc were already being sold on the pirate market, they recounted the copies stored in their warehouse and found only 300,000 units. WEA Latina responded to the piracy by having a Mexican radio station play the whole album a few days before its release.[30] In Mexico, the album was certified triple platinum and has sold over one million copies in the country.[31][32] In the United States, it debuted and peaked at the number two on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart; it was held off the number one position by Gloria Estefan's album Mi Tierra.[33] Aries remained at this position until it was replaced by the Gipsy Kings's album Love and Liberté 20 weeks later.[34]

Aries peaked at number one on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart and stayed at the top for 19 weeks.[35] Aries ended 1993 as the second best-selling Latin pop album in the United States after Romance.[36] In Argentina, the album peaked at number two on the album chart and was certified diamond by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers for sales of 500,000 copies.[37][38] Elsewhere in South America, the album peaked at number one on the Chilean albums chart and was certified platinum in Colombia.[39][40] Aries has sold over two million copies worldwide as of 2000.[41]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 2.5/5 stars[11]
Billboard favorable[42]
Chicago Tribune 2.5/4 stars [16]
Los Angeles Times 3/4 stars[43]

Upon its release, Aries received mixed-to-positive reactions from music critics. AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis gave the album 2.5 stars out of five and the ballads were "sometimes a little too syrupy". He complimented some of the dance tunes such as "Suave" and "Dame Tu Amor", but said "Luz Verde" was a "somewhat dated attempt at early-'90s Latin hip-hop R&B".[11] An editor for Billboard magazine wrote a favorable review of Aries, stating that Miguel "trades in nostalgic boleros for a stylish, up-to-date package" and called "Ayer" a "perfect transition track from Romance".[42] Chicago Tribune editor Achy Obejas gave the record 2.5 stars out of four, calling it "a kind of middle ground between Romance and its lush ballads, and the bouncy pop of 20 Años, its immediate antecedent". She praised Miguel's vocals as "wonderfully nuanced and dramatic", and said the ballads mostly "work", but that "the uptempo tunes fall flat most of the time".[16] Enrique Lopetegui of the Los Angeles Times gave the album three stars out of four; he lauded Miguel's inclusion of "healthy elements of jazz and funk into his polished sound" and said he "returns to familiar territory accompanied by his usual superb arrangements and musicianship".[43]

At the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in 1994, Miguel won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album for Aries.[44] At the 6th Lo Nuestro Awards in the same year, the album won the award for Pop Album of the Year and Miguel was named Pop Male Artist of the Year.[45] He also received two nominations in the category of Pop Song of the Year for "Hasta Que Me Olvides" and "Ayer"; the latter track was also nominated Video of the Year.[46] At the inaugural Billboard Latin Music Awards in 1994, Miguel received two awards including Pop Album of the Year and Pop Male Artist of the Year.[47] Miguel was awarded Best Male Singer, Best Male Show for the tour, and Best Disc for the album at the 1994 Eres awards.[48]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Suave"  
  • Orlando Castro
  • Kiko Cibrian
 4:47
2. "Me Niego a Estar Solo"   Rudy Pérez 4:17
3. "Luz Verde"   Pérez 4:59
4. "Hasta el Fin"   Cibrian 4:49
5. "Ayer"  
3:25
6. "Que Nivel de Mujer"  
  • Emilio Castillo
  • Castro
  • Stephen Kupka
 4:28
7. "Pensar en Ti"   Francisco Céspedes 4:15
8. "Dame Tu Amor"  
  • Cibrian
  • Adrián Possé
 3:23
9. "Hasta Que Me Olvides"   Juan Luis Guerra 4:40
10. "Tu y Yo"  
4:50

Credits and personnel

The following credits are from AllMusic:[49]

Performance credits

Technical credits

  • Mauricio Abaroa;- executive producer
  • Jim Champagne;- assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Cartel Disenadores;- design
  • Benny Faccone;- engineer, mixing
  • Alfredo Gatica;- art direction
  • Humberto Gatica;- mixing
  • Bernie Grundman;- mastering
  • Noel Hazen;- assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Kimm James;- assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Ezra Kliger;- concertmaster, production coordinator, violin
  • Paul McKenna;- mixing
  • Brian Pollack;- assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Jose L. Quintana;- coordination, production coordination
  • Carlos Somonte;- photography

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[38] Diamond 500,000
Colombia (ASINCOL)[40] Platinum 60,000x
Mexico (AMPROFON)[31] 3× Platinum 1,000,000[32]

xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ "Luis Miguel – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Luis Miguel. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  51. ↑ "Luis Miguel – Chart history" Billboard Top Latin Albums for Luis Miguel. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  52. ↑ "Luis Miguel – Chart history" Billboard Latin Pop Albums for Luis Miguel. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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