Aries is the ninth studio album by Mexican recording artist Luis Miguel. It was released by WEA Latina on 22 June 1993. After attaining commercial success in 1991 with his previous album, Romance, Luis Miguel decided to return to a style similar to his earlier work, featuring 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.
Three singles were released to promote the album. The first two singles, "Ayer" and "Hasta Que Me Olvides," topped the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and the third, "Suave," peaked at number nine. Two other songs were released as promotional singles, "Hasta el Fin" and "Tú y Yo"; both peaked at number four on the Hot Latin Songs chart. To further promote the record, Luis Miguel launched the 1993 Aries Tour to some Latin American countries and the United States.
Aries peaked at number one on the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums, where it stayed for 19 weeks. Internationally, the album was certified quadruple platinum in Mexico, where it sold over one million copies. It was also certified diamond in Argentina. Aries sold over three million copies worldwide. Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from music critics; they were divided on the dance tunes and ballads, although Luis Miguel's vocals and the album's arrangements garnered positive reactions. Luis Miguel received several accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.
Background and recording
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,[2] was a commercial success in Latin America and sold over seven million copies worldwide.[3][4] 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.[4] In spite of the album's success, Miguel did not want to release a follow-up record that was similar to Romance.[5] 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".[6] He began working with the composers for the album a year before recording in a studio in 1992; in Miguel's words, he wanted to "discuss the works, the themes, and melodies; ... The creation of an album has to be part of me or else I would not be able to interpret it, or sing in it".[7]
On 24 August 1992, Mexican newspaper El Siglo de Torreón reported that Miguel had begun collaborating with David Foster and Juan Carlos Calderón on some compositions, along with English-speaking composers, and selecting cover versions for the album.[8] He also received assistance from Cuban composer Rudy Pérez and Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra with the songwriting.[7] Recording began on 4 July 1992.[9] 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.[6] 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 an appendectomy.[5] Miguel announced that the name of the album would be Aries during a presentation at the 1993 Festival Acapulco.[10] About the naming of the album he said, "This album expresses my personal self. 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 zodiac sign representing what one is."[11]
A 27-second sample of Miguel's "Que Nivel de Mujer", a Spanish adaptation of "Attitude Dance" by Tower of Power. One of the band's member Emilio Castillo arranged the horn sections in the song. About the inclusion of the song, Miguel commented that he was very fond of "that type of R&B, Motown, and hip-hop" and that "My musical influence comes from those sounds".[6]
Aries is composed of ten tracks, six of which are romantic ballads.[12] The remaining four songs are dance numbers which San Antonio Express-News editor Ramiro Burr describes as containing a "pop groove" and R&B influences, further comparing them to Miguel's earlier recordings before Romance.[5][13] 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.[6] 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.[12] "Suave" features a saxophone solo by 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.[7] 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.[6]
"Ayer" is a Spanish-language cover of David Foster's instrumental "All That My Heart Can Hold" with additional lyrics by Rudy Pérez.[5][14] Burr characterized the song as a "lush ballad sung by Miguel in his stylistic
romantic swagger that simultaneously conveys pride and pain".[15] Similarly, John Lannert wrote for the Sun-Sentinel that the track was comparable to Romance's "sparse lyrical muse and smooth musical backdrop".[13] Lannert also called Juan Luis Guerra's composition "Hasta Que Me Olvides" an "emotion-drenched love ode" and referred to "Me Niego Estar Solo" and "Hasta El Fin" as "desperate confessionals about being out of love".[16]Achy Obejas of the Chicago Tribune labeled the ballads "Hasta El Fin" and "Tú y Yo" as "luxuriantly slow narratives of love lost".[17]
A 20-second sample of Miguel's "Ayer", the album's lead single. The song is a cover of David Foster's instrumental "All That My Heart Can Hold" with lyrics added by Rudy Pérez. Ramiro Burr writes for the San Antonio Express-News: "It is a lush ballad sung in Miguel's stylistic swagger that simultaneously conveys pride and pain".[15]
"Ayer" was released as the lead single from Aries on 17 May 1993.[18] It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States the week of 17 July 1993, and stayed there for three weeks.[19] The three music videos for "Ayer" were directed by Benny Corral, Rubén Galindo, and Gustavo Garzón respectively.[20] The music videos were filmed in a mansion in Mexico City.[21] "Ayer" ended 1993 as the sixth-best-performing Latin song of the year in the US.[22] The 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.[23][19] The album's third single, "Suave", was released in 1993 and peaked at number nine on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[24][25] Its music video was directed by Kiko Guerrero and features Miguel dancing with several women on a beach.[26][27] "Hasta el Fin" and "Tú y Yo" were released as promotional singles in the US and both peaked at number four on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[25][28] "Pensar en Ti" received airplay in Mexico,[29] while "Me Niego a Estar Solo" was released as a promotional single in Spain in 1993.[30]
To promote the album, Miguel began his Aries Tour on 29 May at the 1993 Acapulco Festival in Mexico.[31] After his performances in Mexico, he toured several countries in Latin America beginning with Argentina, and later performed in the US.[32] 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.[33]
Upon its release, Aries received mixed reactions from music critics. AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of five and found the ballads to be "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".[12] A music journalist 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".[35]Chicago Tribune music critic Achy Obejas gave the record two-and-a-half 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".[17] 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".[34]
Aries was released internationally on 22 June 1993,[15] although pirated cassettes of the album were being sold for $1 in Mexico ten days before the official release.[6] WEA Latina prepared 500,000 copies to be distributed on the release date, but after finding legitimate copies of the compact disc were already being sold on the pirate market, they discovered only 300,000 units stored in their warehouse. WEA Latina responded to the piracy by having a Mexican radio station play the whole album a few days before its release.[41] In Mexico, the album was certified quadruple platinum; it has sold over one million copies in the country.[42] In the US, it debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, second to Gloria Estefan's album Mi Tierra.[43]Aries remained in this position until it was replaced by the Gipsy Kings's album Love and Liberté 20 weeks later.[44]
Aries peaked at number one on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart and stayed at the top for 19 weeks.[45] It ended 1993 as the second best-selling Latin pop album in the US after Romance.[46] 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.[47][48] Elsewhere in South America, the album peaked at number one on the Chilean albums chart and was certified platinum in Colombia.[49][50]Aries sold over three million copies worldwide.[51]
Track listing
All recordings produced by Luis Miguel and Kiko Cibrian, except where noted.[52]
^Ayer Single (CD liner). Luis Miguel. México: WEA Latina. 1993. pp. 1–2. 4509 92853-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Romance – Credits". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^"Dimes y Diretes". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 12 October 1992. p. 51. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
^ abCandelaria, Cordelia; Garcia, Peter; Adalma, Arturo (2004). Encyclopedia of Latino popular culture. Vol. 2. Westport, United States: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 551–552. ISBN9780313322150. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
^"Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 24 August 1992. p. 50. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
^Calzada, Gloria (10 June 1992). "Comentarios de..." [Comments from...]. El Informador (in Spanish). Unión Editorialista. p. 13-E.
^"Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 18 May 1993. p. 39. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
^"Confirmado Luis Miguel ¡No es mexicano!" [Luis Miguel is not Mexican!]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 19 May 1993. p. 39. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2015. Este disco expresa mi forma muy personal. Tuve mucho que ver en todo. Lo produje totalmente y quise divertirme mucho, sacar lo que a mi me gusta y, entonces qué mejor que el signo zodiacal que representa lo que uno es.
^ abcdPromis, Jose F. "Aries – Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
^ abcBurr, Ramiro (16 June 1993). "Luis Miguel's latest due out Tuesday". San Antonio-Express News. Heart Corporation. p. 3.
^Lannert, John (20 June 1993). "A Seduction Of Rhythm". Sun-Sentinel. Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
^"Dimes y diretes". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 22 June 1993. p. 38. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
^"Luis Miguel, el número uno" [Luis Miguel, number one]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 31 August 1993. p. 42. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
^Arias, Vilo (9 August 1993). "Article - Hit ParadeHit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). p. 44. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
^"Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 27 September 1993. p. 95. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
^"Listo el "Segundo Romance" de Luismi" ["Segundo romance" by Luis Miguel is ready]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 27 July 1994. p. 34. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
^Guerrero, Kiko (director). Suave (Television). Warner Music Latina. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
^Luis Miguel (1993). Tú y Yo (Promo single CD). United States: WEA Latina, a division of Warner Music Group. PROM #1141.
^"Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 28 June 1994. p. 39. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
^Luis Miguel (1993). Me Niego a Estar Solo (Promo single CD). Spain: WEA Spain, a division of Warner Music Group. M-37778.
^"Listo el nuevo LP de Luismi" [Luis Miguel's new LP is ready]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 18 May 1993. p. 39. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
^"Exitosa presentación de Luis Miguel" [Successful presentation by Luis Miguel]. El Informador (in Spanish). Unión Editorialista. 22 September 1993. p. 11-E.
^Romero, Fernando (17 June 1993). "Maturing Luis Miguel now knows how to put on a show". San Diego Union-Tribune.
^"Fueron entregados los premios "Eres"" [The Eres Awards were given]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 12 February 1994. p. 58. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
^ abc"Hit Parade". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 9 March 1994. p. 43. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
^"Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 28. Nielsen N.V. 10 July 1993. p. 26. ISSN0006-2510. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
^ ab"Luis Miguel Muy Amable Con la Prensa" [Luis Miguel is loved by the press]. El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Editora de la Laguna. 9 June 1994. p. 50. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
^ abEstrada, Nora Alicia (19 April 2006). "Es un 'Sol' de plata". Mural (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022 – via ProQuest.
^Aries (CD liner). Luis Miguel. United States: WEA Latina. 1993. pp. 6–7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Miguel, Luis (1993). Luis Miguel (Album liner notes). US: WEA Latina, a division of Warner Music Group. pp. 17–18. 7 4509-92993 2.
^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN84-8048-639-2.
^ ab"1994: The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. YE-77, 78. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2013.