El Amor de Mi Tierra
Encyclopedia
El Amor de Mi Tierra is the fourth major-label album by Colombian
singer/composer Carlos Vives
.
Released on October 19, 1999 it is Vives's ninth album overall (when counting earlier releases). The album was a return to form for Vives, after the darker and more introspective Tengo Fe
. A massive critical and commercial success, it gave Vives his first #1 single (Fruta Fresca
) and accolades including Latin Grammy Nominations (Best Traditional Tropical Latin Performance) and Billboard Awards (Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year).
and La Tierra del Olvido
, Carlos's third major release Tengo Fe
, received a much cooler reception. Packed with music that was darker and less dance-oriented, the album strived to show compositions more in touch with Vives as an introspective songwriter. However, a lack of singles that matched past hits such as "La Gota Fría" and "La Tierra del Olvido" was evident. After months of extensive touring and promotion, Vives retired back to the lab for his next awaited release. What would result is an album that reached a popularity beyond anyone's expectations.
Determined to ensure his album's success, Carlos hooked up with Latin music's most popular producer, Emilio Estefan, Jr. Estefan, already known for his work with Latin America's biggest singers, including his own wife, Gloria Estefan
, was eager to work with the vallenato
superstar. The collaboration was only a matter of time; having already produced Gloria's vallenato-inspired work Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors), Emilio's work would put another Colombian singer into superstar status, Shakira
, and her acclaimed album ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?
. Carlos and Emilio's subsequent collaboration would help bring to fruition many new aspects to Vives's music, introducing a more pop influence. With Estefan's penchant for pop perfection, Carlos's new album would explore the reason for his vallenato
passion, as well as a testament to his hometown roots.
El Amor de Mi Tierra (The Love of My Land), appeared October 19, 1999. The album title is a reference to Vives's thematic labor of love for vallenato
and its prominence in Santa Marta
. Packed with eleven new songs, the album marked the beginning songwriting partnership for Vives. Along with Estefan's production, Martín Madera, and guitarist/producer Andrés Castro, all became instrumental in the album's compositions and infectious pop flavor. The Madera-penned title track was released to radio as the first single. Rich with the sound of Vives's musical backbone, his band La Provincia, the song was a catchy mix of vallenato, filled with a reggae-tinged chord progression. Fan sentiment was unanimous, the song was a definite return to form for Carlos. But it would be the album's second track that would garner an instantaneous reaction...
Fruta Fresca
(Fresh Fruit), was the song that followed the title track. With a fast pace of Afro-percussion, Mayte Montero's woodwinds, and Egidio Cuadrado's signature accordion, the song had a rhythm that was inescapable. Listeners fell in love with the track, frequently requesting its presence on Latin radio, overshadowing the intended single. So popular was Fruta Fresca, the result would surprise critics and audiences who felt Carlos had reached his creative peak. Fruta Fresca was to become Carlos's biggest charting hit, becoming his first single to reach the top of Billboard
s Annual Hot Latin Tracks at #1.
Aside from the aforementioned tracks, listener's found the album to be a non-stop collection of infectious hits. The album's production is vallenato
with pop accessibility, making every track single worthy. Songs such as 19 de Noviembre (November 19) and Tu Amor Eterno (Your Eternal Love - Billboard Hot Latin Tracks #29) quickly became beloved hits. Other songs such as El Canté (The Folk Song) and Pitán-Pitán, were further examples of vallenato
and pop
, while ballads such as La Cartera (The Purse) proved equally popular. Vives appropriately ends the album with an updated cover of José Barros's classic La Piragua (The Canoe), which, like many of Vives's covers, turns the song into his own.
The reaction to El Amor de Mi Tierra gave Vives his biggest album since his breakout, Clásicos de la Provincia
, and gave Carlos major critical recognition. El Amor received Grammy Nominations for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Performance and Billboard Music Award
s for Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year. Further effecting album sales was the rise of Latin artists such as Ricky Martin
, Jennifer Lopez
, and Enrique Iglesias
to popular mainstream, giving Carlos attention from music buyers outside of Latin America.
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
singer/composer Carlos Vives
Carlos Vives
Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo is a Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award winning-Colombian singer, composer and actor.-Biography:...
.
Released on October 19, 1999 it is Vives's ninth album overall (when counting earlier releases). The album was a return to form for Vives, after the darker and more introspective Tengo Fe
Tengo Fe
Tengo Fe is the third major-label album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.Released on August 12, 1997, it is Vives's eighth album overall . The album follows La Tierra del Olvido, with a sound that is less dance-oriented, further emphasizing Vives's desire to be taken seriously as a...
. A massive critical and commercial success, it gave Vives his first #1 single (Fruta Fresca
Fruta Fresca
"Fruta Fresca" is a song released by Colombian recording artist Carlos Vives as the first single from his studio album El Amor de Mi Tierra in 1999. The song was written by Martín Madera and produced by Emilio Estefan and Juan Vicente Zambrano and became Vives' first number-one hit in the...
) and accolades including Latin Grammy Nominations (Best Traditional Tropical Latin Performance) and Billboard Awards (Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year).
Overview
After releasing two successful albums Clásicos de la ProvinciaClásicos de la Provincia
Clásicos de la Provincia is the breakthrough album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.Released in late 1993, internationally on February 22, 1994, it contained three chart-topping hits that propelled Vives to fame in Latin America...
and La Tierra del Olvido
La Tierra del Olvido
La Tierra del Olvido is the second major-label album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.Released on July 25, 1995 it is considered Vives' second proper release, and his seventh album overall...
, Carlos's third major release Tengo Fe
Tengo Fe
Tengo Fe is the third major-label album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.Released on August 12, 1997, it is Vives's eighth album overall . The album follows La Tierra del Olvido, with a sound that is less dance-oriented, further emphasizing Vives's desire to be taken seriously as a...
, received a much cooler reception. Packed with music that was darker and less dance-oriented, the album strived to show compositions more in touch with Vives as an introspective songwriter. However, a lack of singles that matched past hits such as "La Gota Fría" and "La Tierra del Olvido" was evident. After months of extensive touring and promotion, Vives retired back to the lab for his next awaited release. What would result is an album that reached a popularity beyond anyone's expectations.
Determined to ensure his album's success, Carlos hooked up with Latin music's most popular producer, Emilio Estefan, Jr. Estefan, already known for his work with Latin America's biggest singers, including his own wife, Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
, was eager to work with the vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
superstar. The collaboration was only a matter of time; having already produced Gloria's vallenato-inspired work Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors), Emilio's work would put another Colombian singer into superstar status, Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
, and her acclaimed album ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?
¿Dónde están los ladrones?
-Personnel:* Shakira - Producer, Songwriter, vocals, harmonica* Emilio Estefan Jr. - Executive producer* Javier Garza - Producer, engineer, mixer, programmer* Luis Fernando Ochoa - Producer, songwriter, guitar, bass guitar...
. Carlos and Emilio's subsequent collaboration would help bring to fruition many new aspects to Vives's music, introducing a more pop influence. With Estefan's penchant for pop perfection, Carlos's new album would explore the reason for his vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
passion, as well as a testament to his hometown roots.
El Amor de Mi Tierra (The Love of My Land), appeared October 19, 1999. The album title is a reference to Vives's thematic labor of love for vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
and its prominence in Santa Marta
Santa Marta
Santa Marta is the capital city of the Colombian department of Magdalena in the Caribbean Region. It was founded in July 29, 1525 by the Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, which makes it the oldest remaining city in Colombia...
. Packed with eleven new songs, the album marked the beginning songwriting partnership for Vives. Along with Estefan's production, Martín Madera, and guitarist/producer Andrés Castro, all became instrumental in the album's compositions and infectious pop flavor. The Madera-penned title track was released to radio as the first single. Rich with the sound of Vives's musical backbone, his band La Provincia, the song was a catchy mix of vallenato, filled with a reggae-tinged chord progression. Fan sentiment was unanimous, the song was a definite return to form for Carlos. But it would be the album's second track that would garner an instantaneous reaction...
Fruta Fresca
Fruta Fresca
"Fruta Fresca" is a song released by Colombian recording artist Carlos Vives as the first single from his studio album El Amor de Mi Tierra in 1999. The song was written by Martín Madera and produced by Emilio Estefan and Juan Vicente Zambrano and became Vives' first number-one hit in the...
(Fresh Fruit), was the song that followed the title track. With a fast pace of Afro-percussion, Mayte Montero's woodwinds, and Egidio Cuadrado's signature accordion, the song had a rhythm that was inescapable. Listeners fell in love with the track, frequently requesting its presence on Latin radio, overshadowing the intended single. So popular was Fruta Fresca, the result would surprise critics and audiences who felt Carlos had reached his creative peak. Fruta Fresca was to become Carlos's biggest charting hit, becoming his first single to reach the top of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Annual Hot Latin Tracks at #1.
Aside from the aforementioned tracks, listener's found the album to be a non-stop collection of infectious hits. The album's production is vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
with pop accessibility, making every track single worthy. Songs such as 19 de Noviembre (November 19) and Tu Amor Eterno (Your Eternal Love - Billboard Hot Latin Tracks #29) quickly became beloved hits. Other songs such as El Canté (The Folk Song) and Pitán-Pitán, were further examples of vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, while ballads such as La Cartera (The Purse) proved equally popular. Vives appropriately ends the album with an updated cover of José Barros's classic La Piragua (The Canoe), which, like many of Vives's covers, turns the song into his own.
The reaction to El Amor de Mi Tierra gave Vives his biggest album since his breakout, Clásicos de la Provincia
Clásicos de la Provincia
Clásicos de la Provincia is the breakthrough album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.Released in late 1993, internationally on February 22, 1994, it contained three chart-topping hits that propelled Vives to fame in Latin America...
, and gave Carlos major critical recognition. El Amor received Grammy Nominations for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Performance and Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award
The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011...
s for Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year. Further effecting album sales was the rise of Latin artists such as Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
, and Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
to popular mainstream, giving Carlos attention from music buyers outside of Latin America.
Track listing
- "El Amor de Mi Tierra" (M. Madera) – 3:24
- "Fruta FrescaFruta Fresca"Fruta Fresca" is a song released by Colombian recording artist Carlos Vives as the first single from his studio album El Amor de Mi Tierra in 1999. The song was written by Martín Madera and produced by Emilio Estefan and Juan Vicente Zambrano and became Vives' first number-one hit in the...
" (M. Madera) – 3:53 - "19 de Noviembre" (C. Vives, E. Estefan, A. Chirino) – 4:37
- "Tu Amor Eterno" (C. Vives, M. Madera) – 4:03
- "La Mona" (C. Vives, A. Castro) – 4:06
- "Volver Al Valle" (C. Vives, E. Cuadrado) – 4:15
- "Cante" (C. Vives, E. Escaf) – 3:43
- "La Cartera" (C. Vives, A. Castro) – 3:19
- "Pitán-Pitán" (C. Vives, A. Castro) – 4:53
- "La Receta" (C. Vives, J. Zambrano) – 4:39
- "La Piragua" (José BarrosJosé BarrosJosé Benito Barros or simply José Barros was a Colombian musician, composer of more than 800 songs in the musical genres of cumbia, porro, merengue, currulao, paseo, bolero and tango...
) – 4:24
Sales and certifications
Personnel
- Carlos VivesCarlos VivesCarlos Alberto Vives Restrepo is a Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award winning-Colombian singer, composer and actor.-Biography:...
- vocals, guitar - Einar Escaf - vocals, drums
- Andrés Castro - guitar, background vocals
- Mayte Montero - flute, maracas
- Egidio Cuadrado - accordion, background vocals
- Juan Vicente Zambrano - Producer, Arranging, programming, Keyboards
- Carlos Ivan Medina - keyboards, background vocals
- Luis Angel "El Papa" Pastor - bass
- Pablo Bernal - drums
- Archie Pena - congas, Cajón, Percussion
- Shango Dely - congas
- Alfredo Rosado - vallenato box
- Eder Polo - guacharaca
- Ramon Benitez - bombardino
- Cheito Quinonez - background vocals
Technical personnel
- Emilio Estefan Jr.-Juan Vicente Zambrano - producers
- Carlos Santos - engineer
- Sebastian Krys - engineer
- Juan Vicente Zambrano - programming, arranger, producer
- Javier Garza - engineer
- Andrés Castro - producer
- Scott Canto - engineer
- Cesar Sogbe - engineer
- Marcelo Anez - engineer
- Carlos Nieto - engineer
- Alfred Figueroa - engineer
- Carlos VivesCarlos VivesCarlos Alberto Vives Restrepo is a Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award winning-Colombian singer, composer and actor.-Biography:...
- producer - Ron Taylor - engineer