El Cantante (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
El Cantante is the soundtrack to the motion picture of the same name
by American
pop
musician Marc Anthony
. The album was released on July 24, 2007 by Sony Norte
. The entire album, with the exception of the last track "Toma de Mí", is a cover album of songs originally recorded by the famous Puerto Rican
salsa
icon Héctor Lavoe
. The main theme song was written by famous Panamanian salsa singer and composer, Ruben Blades.
in El Cantante
, a film he had been wanting and waiting to make for many years. Lavoe was known, and is still considered a hero to salsa fans, famed for the artistry of his vocals and the intensity of his rhythm, as well as his involvement with famous salsa musician Willie Colón
during the early '70s were high points for salsa, and they paved the way for many vocalists to come (including one Marc Anthony). The album is not only a soundtrack, but a tribute album to the famous salsa singer. Anthony's cover versions of "Aguanile", "Che Che Colé", "Mi Gente
" and "El Cantante", have become chart topping hits on the United States
Latin Billboard
. Anthony also worked with Rubén Blades
during the production of the film, as well as the soundtrack. The tenth track finds Jennifer Lopez
, Anthony's wife in the film and in real life, performing a pop ballad titled "Toma de Mí," composed by Canadian
singer-songwriter
Nelly Furtado
. The album was awarded Best Salsa Album at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
and Tropical Album of the Year at the 2008 Latin Billboard Music Awards
.a
Top Latin Albums chart and number 31 on the Billboard 200
. In its second week it still peaked at number 1 on the Top Latin Albums but felt back 2 places to end at number 33 on the Billboard 200. It still peaked the Top Latin Albums in the third, fourth and fifth week and went on number 32, number 44 and number 55 on the Billboard 200.
Year-end charts
El Cantante
El Cantante is a 2006 American film released in the United States on August 3, 2007. The biopic stars singer Marc Anthony and actress-singer Jennifer Lopez . The film is based on the life story of salsa legend Héctor Lavoe...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
musician Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
. The album was released on July 24, 2007 by Sony Norte
Sony Music Latin
Sony Music Latin is a record label owned by Sony Music Entertainnment. The label focuses on artists for Latin music.-Labels distributed by Sony Music Latin:*Pina Records*Top Stop Music*Premium Latin Music-List of artists on Sony Music Latin:...
. The entire album, with the exception of the last track "Toma de Mí", is a cover album of songs originally recorded by the famous Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
icon Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...
. The main theme song was written by famous Panamanian salsa singer and composer, Ruben Blades.
Background
Marc Anthony plays the role of Héctor LavoeHéctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...
in El Cantante
El Cantante
El Cantante is a 2006 American film released in the United States on August 3, 2007. The biopic stars singer Marc Anthony and actress-singer Jennifer Lopez . The film is based on the life story of salsa legend Héctor Lavoe...
, a film he had been wanting and waiting to make for many years. Lavoe was known, and is still considered a hero to salsa fans, famed for the artistry of his vocals and the intensity of his rhythm, as well as his involvement with famous salsa musician Willie Colón
Willie Colón
William Anthony Colón is a Nuyorican salsa musician. Primarily a trombonist, Colón also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in municipal politics in New York City.-Early years:...
during the early '70s were high points for salsa, and they paved the way for many vocalists to come (including one Marc Anthony). The album is not only a soundtrack, but a tribute album to the famous salsa singer. Anthony's cover versions of "Aguanile", "Che Che Colé", "Mi Gente
Mi Gente
"Mi Gente" is a song by former Latin superstar Héctor Lavoe from the album, La Voz. It is considered by many Latinos to be his signature song...
" and "El Cantante", have become chart topping hits on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Latin Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. Anthony also worked with Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres...
during the production of the film, as well as the soundtrack. The tenth track finds 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...
, Anthony's wife in the film and in real life, performing a pop ballad titled "Toma de Mí," composed by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
. The album was awarded Best Salsa Album at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 13, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and were aired on Univision. The Brazilian Field awards were presented on the same day at the Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo. The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year was Gloria...
and Tropical Album of the Year at the 2008 Latin Billboard Music Awards
2008 Latin Billboard Music Awards
The 2008 Billboard Latin Music Awards, produced and broadcast live on Telemundo, was held on Thursday, April 10, 2008. The award show aired on Telemundo at 7pm EST....
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Chart performance
The soundtrack debuted at number 1 on the BillboardBillboard (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...
Top Latin Albums chart and number 31 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. In its second week it still peaked at number 1 on the Top Latin Albums but felt back 2 places to end at number 33 on the Billboard 200. It still peaked the Top Latin Albums in the third, fourth and fifth week and went on number 32, number 44 and number 55 on the Billboard 200.
Track listing
- "El Cantante" (Rubén BladesRubén BladesRubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres...
) — 6:47 - "Mi GenteMi Gente"Mi Gente" is a song by former Latin superstar Héctor Lavoe from the album, La Voz. It is considered by many Latinos to be his signature song...
" (Johnny PachecoJohnny PachecoJohnny Pacheco is a Dominican producer, musician, bandleader, and one of the most influential figures in American salsa music.-Early life:...
) — 3:52 - "Escándalo" (Rafael Cárdenas Crespo; Rubén Fuentes) — 3:58
- "Aguanile" (Willie ColónWillie ColónWilliam Anthony Colón is a Nuyorican salsa musician. Primarily a trombonist, Colón also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in municipal politics in New York City.-Early years:...
; Héctor LavoeHéctor LavoeHéctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...
) — 5:15 - "Che Che Colé" (Willie Colón) — 3:26
- "El Día de Mi Suerte" (Willie Colón; Héctor Lavoe) — 5:19
- "Qué Lío" (Willie Colón; Joe Cuba; Héctor Lavoe) — 4:24
- "Quítate Tú" (Johnny Pacheco; Bobby ValentínBobby ValentinBobby Valentin, also known as "El Rey del Bajo" , is a musician and salsa bandleader.-Early years:...
) — 4:24 - "Todo Tiene Su Final" (Willie Colón) — 4:56
- "Toma de Mí" (Performed by Jennifer LopezJennifer LopezJennifer 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...
) (Nelly FurtadoNelly FurtadoNelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
; Julio Reyes Copello) — 4:29
Charts
Album charts| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Spanish Album Chart | 11 |
| Swiss Album Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
100 |
| U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
31 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Latin Tropical Albums Tropical Albums Tropical Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. Established in June 1985, the chart compiles information about the top-selling albums in genres like salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, and vallenato, which are frequently considered tropical music... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soundtracks | 4 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums Year-End Charts | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Tropical Albums Year-End Charts | 2 |
Performance credits
- Yomo ToroYomo ToroVictor Guillermo Toro is a guitarist and one of Puerto Rico's most famous cuatro players...
– CuatroCuatro (instrument)The cuatro is any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar or lute family. The cuatro is smaller than a guitar. Cuatro means four in Spanish, although current instruments may have more than four strings.... - Milton Cardona – Vocals, coro
- Tito Allen – Vocals, Coro
- Bobby Allende – CongaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
- Renaldo Jorge – TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Myung Hi Kim – ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Ozzie Melendez – Trombone
- Suzanne Ornstein – Violin
- Ricardo Tiki Pasillas – Percussion
- Marc QuiñonesMarc QuiñonesMarc Quiñones is an Puerto Rican American percussionist, a longtime player in salsa music, and a member of the Southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band....
– TimbalesTimbalesTimbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned... - Laura Seaton – Violin
- Gene Moye – CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Sergio George – PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Ray Colon – Bongos, bellsBell (instrument)A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
- Raul Agraz – TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Luis Quintero – Percussion, timbales
- William Castro – ArpaARPAArpa and ARPA may refer to:Arpa* Arpa River in Armenia* Areni, Armenia - formerly called Arpa* Arpi, Armenia, also called Arpa* Turkish for Akhurian River in Turkey and Armenia* Italian for harp, sometimes used in scoresARPA...
- William Duval – Vocals
- Sarah Seiver – Cello
- José Tabares – BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- Peter Winograd – Violin
- Ramon B. Sanchez – Conductor
- Robert Rinehart – ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Daniel Panner – Viola
- Elizabeth Dyson – Cello
- Jenny Strenger – Violin
- Wilson Cifuentes – Flute, gaita
- Katherine Fong – Violin
- Duoming Ba – Violin
- Minyoung Chang – Violin
- Sarah OBoyle – Violin
- Wen Qian – Violin
- Sein Ryu – Violin
- Mario Guini – Electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Julio Reyes Copello – Piano
- Jose Mangual – Vocals, Coro
- Daniel Caro – BandolaBandolaThis article refers to various South American instruments. Bandola is also Portuguese for Mandola.The Bandola is one oif many varieties of small pear-shape chordophones found in Venezuela and Colombia...
- Oriol Caro – TipleTipleTiple is the Spanish word for treble or soprano, is often applied to specific instruments, generally to refer to a small chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a tiplista.-Colombian tiple:...
- Angélica Gámez – Violin
- Laura Ospina – Cello
- Urian Sarmiento – Percussion
Technical credits
- Marc AnthonyMarc AnthonyMarc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
– Producer, executive producer - Sergio GeorgeSergio GeorgeSergio George is a pianist and record producer, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music, although he has worked in other genres as well...
– Producer - Héctor Ivan Rosa – Engineer
- Jim Caruana – Engineer
- Luisito Quintero – Percussion overdubs
- David Kutch – Mastering
- Vlado Meller – Mastering
- Peter Wade Keusch – Engineer
- Bigram Zayas – Producer
- Alysia Oakley – Assistant music supervisor
- Maria Paula Marulanda – Art direction
- Matt Havron – Assistant Music supervisor
- Julio Reyes Copello – Arranger, programming, producer