Bachata Rosa

Bachata Rosa
Studio album by Juan Luis Guerra
Released December 11, 1990
Recorded 1989–1990
440 Studio
(New York, New York)
Genre Bachata, Merengue, Salsa
Language Spanish
Label KAREN
Producer Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra chronology
Ojalá que llueva café
(1989)		 Bachata Rosa
(1990)		 Areíto
(1992)
Singles from Bachata rosa
  1. "Como abeja al panal"
    Released: December 1989
  2. "La bilirrubina"
    Released: March 1990
  3. "Burbujas de amor"
    Released: August 1990
  4. "A pedir su mano"
    Released: January 1991
  5. "Estrellitas y duendes"
    Released: March 1991
  6. "Carta de amor"
    Released: August 1991
  7. "Bachata rosa"
    Released: June 1991

Bachata rosa (Pink Bachata) is the fifth studio album by Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra and his group 4-40. It was released on December 11, 1990 by KAREN Records. Written and produced by Guerra, the album was very successful, selling over five million copies worldwide and bringing bachata music into mainstream music in the Dominican Republic as well as to an international audience. Seven singles were released from the album; three of which were top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Tropical Albums. It remained the top selling album on the chart for twenty-four weeks and was later certified "Disco de Platino" in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. In Spain, the album spent eight weeks at the number one position on the chart. The album was also a hit in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number two on the Mega Album Top 100 and was certified gold.

Bachata rosa was praised by critics, who commended Guerra on his songwriting and the production of the album, citing it as one of his most important works. Furthermore, it brought bachata music to the attention of the mainstream media in the Dominican Republic.[1] The album received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album and two Lo Nuestro Awards for "Tropical Album of the Year" and "Tropical – Group of the Year". A Portuguese version of the album was released in 1992 under the title Romance rosa; it was certified gold in Brazil.

Contents

Background

After releasing the album Ojalá que llueva café, Juan Luis Guerra began experimenting by performing bachata alongside Dominican artist Sonia Silvestre on her album, Quiero andar. The result was an early demo of "Como abeja al panal" ("As a Bee to the Hive"). Silvestre explained that Guerra was not committed to the project after he learned that it would be recorded in bachata. The song was first released for a Barceló TV commercial.[2] After it was released as a single, Guerra continued working on bachata music, which led to him record the album Bachata rosa. Silvestre explained the title by saying that Guerra's bachatas were "rosa [rosy] while mine was red".[3] Recording took place in his personal recording studio the 4-40 studio in New York. The album was released by KAREN Records.[4]

Musical style, writing and composition

The album consists of ten tracks including four bachata songs.[3] The album starts with the opening track "Rosalia", an upbeat merengue song.[5] "Como abeja al panal" which begins as a bachata tune and switches to salsa music in middle of the song.[3] Carta de amor" is a salsa track written in a journalistic style.[6] "Estrellitas y duendes" ("Little Stars and Elves") is a bachata regards living in his love's memories as a rainshower of little stars and elves.[3][7] "A pedir su mano"("Asking for Her Hand") is a cover of Lea Lignanzy's song "Dede priscilla" from the Central African Republic which combines merengue and Afropop.[8] "La bilirrubina" ("The Bilirubin") is a merengue song that describes a man in a hospital suffering from a high bilirubin of love and can only be cured by kisses as injections and surgery are ineffective.[9] "Burbujas de amor" ("Bubbles of Love") is a sexual bachata song about a man's desire to become a fish and "make bubbles of love" on his lover's fishbowl.[10] The lyrics for the song "Bachata rosa" was inspired by the works of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in the opening lines.[6] "Reforestame" ("Reforest me") is a merengue track performed by 4-40 vocalist Adalgisa Pantaleon.[11] The last track "Acompáñeme civil" is a merengue song performed by Beny Peregina which deals with social awareness.[12]

Commercial reception

Album

In the United States, Bachata rosa debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Tropical Albums on the week of January 12, 1991. It remained there for twenty-four nonconsecutive weeks.[13] It peaked at number nineteen on Billboard Top Latin Albums at the week of July 24, 1993.[14] In 2004, the album was certified "Disco de Platino" by the RIAA for shipments of 100,000 copies.[15] In Spain, the album reached No. 1, where it spent eight weeks.[16] The album was also a hit in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number two on the Mega Album Top 100 chart and was certified gold by the NVPI.[17][18] A Portuguese version, titled Romance rosa, was released in 1992. It also contained songs from his earlier albums performed in Portuguese. It was certified gold in Brazil by the Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos for sales of 100,000 copies.[19] As of 1994, the album had sold over five million copies.[20]

Singles

"Como abeja al panal" was the first single released from the album. It peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in 1989 and No. 55 on Mega Single Top 100 in the Netherlands.[21][22] "La bilirrubina" was the second single released from the album. It reached at No. 9 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[23] The third single, "Burbujas de amor", was the most successful single from the album. It peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 3 on the Mega Single Top 100.[24][25] The music video for the song features Guerra performing the song from a porch as he watches a couple dancing in the rain.[26] The fourth single, "A pedir su mano", peaked at No. 13 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[23] The music video shows costumed people dancing in sugarcane fields with a cartoon of a red train traversing the landscape.[8] "Estrellitas y duendes", the fifth single released from the album, peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Latin Tracks.[27] The sixth single "Carta de amor" peaked at No. 35 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[28] The last single released from the album was "Bachata rosa", which peaked at No. 15 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[29]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [30]
Los Angeles Times [31]
Wilson & Alroy's Record Review [11]

The album was generally praised by critics. Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic referred to Bachata rosa as a "milestone effort" and writes that "Not only is it his career-defining work, it's also one of the finest tropical albums of its era, or any other, for that matter". He gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.[30] Don Snowden of the Los Angeles Times gave the album a 3 out of 4 star rating and praises the arrangements of the album as "puncy, well-crafted".[31] David Wilson of Wilson & Alroy's Record Review gave the album a 5 star rating and claims that Guerra "perfected his approach to bachata". He calls "Rosalia" and "La bilirrubina" "irresistible" merengues, and describes "A pedir su mano" as "the incredible slice of Afro-pop". Wilson closed the review by stating "there's not one track here I'd be reluctant to play at a party."[11]

At the 34th Grammy Awards, the album received the award for Best Tropical Latin Album.[32] At the Lo Nuestro Awards of 1991, Guerra received three awards: "Tropical Song of the Year" for the song "Burbujas de amor", "Video of the Year" for the music video of "A pedir su mano", and "Tropical – Group of the Year".[33] A year later, Guerra received two Lo Nuestro awards for "Tropical Album of the Year" for the album and one for "Tropical Group of the Year".[34]

Cultural impact

Prior to the release of Bachata rosa, bachata music was generally regarded as lower-class music in the Dominican Republican and did not receive media attention.[35] After Guerra released the album, bachata became socially accepted by the middle- and upper-classes.[3] The genre has since become mainstream in the Dominican Republic.[1] In addition, the success of the album provided the genre with international exposure.[1]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Juan Luis Guerra, except where noted. 

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Rosalia"     3:26
2. "Como abeja al panal"     4:05
3. "Carta de amor"     4:41
4. "Estrallitas y duendes"     4:25
5. "A pedir su mano"   Lea Lignanzy 4:05
6. "La bilirrubina"     4:05
7. "Burbujas de amor"     4:09
8. "Bachata rosa"     4:20
9. "Reforestame" (performed by Adalgisa Pantaleon)   4:09
10. "Acompañame civil" (performed by Beny Peregina)   5:00

All songs written and composed by Juan Luis Guerra, except where noted. 

Personnel

The following credits are from Allmusic and from the Bachata rosa liner notes:[36][4]

Juan Luis Guerra y 440
Additional personnel
  • Luis Del Rosario – saxophone
  • Femin Cruz – trumpet
  • Manuel Tejada – piano, synthesizer
  • Yanino Rosada – piano
  • Gonzalo Rubalcaba – piano
  • Robert Juandor – bass, maracas
  • Hector Santana – bass
  • Guy Frometa – drums
  • Alberto Machuca – bongos, cencerro
  • Gadwin Vargas – congas
  • Pichi Perez – güiro, maracas
  • Henry Garcia – guiro, background vocals
  • Santiago Martinez – timbal
  • Mariela Mercado – background vocals
  • Sonia Silvestre – background vocals
  • Victor Victor – background vocals
  • Robert Juandor – background vocals
  • John Fausty – engineer
  • Marco Felix – engineer
  • Carlos Molina – engineer

Chart performance

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Netherlands (Mega Album Top 100)[17] 2
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[16] 1
U.S. Billboard Tropical Albums[14] 1
Chart (1993) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums[14] 19

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Brazil (ABPD)[19]
for Romance Rosa		 Gold 100,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[18] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum (Latin) 100,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

Dominican Republic portal
Latin American music portal

References

  1. ^ a b c Hernandez, Deborah (2009). "Oye como va!: hybridity and identity in Latino popular music". Temple University Press. p. 40. http://books.google.com/books?id=zNcJkzg1OuQC&pg=PA90&dq=%22bachata+rosa%22&hl=en&ei=07TFTc29HcKgtwfCzZ2MBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CE0Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  2. ^ Wayne, David. "Juan Luis Guerra Biography". iASO Records. http://www.iasorecords.com/Juan-Luis-Guerra.cfm. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  3. ^ a b c d e Hernández, Deborah (1995). Bachata: a social history of Dominican popular music. Temple University Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=oLdkCugOAOcC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  4. ^ a b (1990) Album notes for Bachata Rosa by Juan Luis Guerra [cassette liner]. KAREN (K-136).
  5. ^ Rondón, César; Aparicio, Frances; White, Jackie (2008). "The book of salsa: a chronicle of urban music from the Caribbean to New York". University of North Carolina Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=9Iqye6I0h-AC&pg=PA287&dq=%22juan+luis+guerra%22+rosalia&hl=en&ei=_l-gTtmTKMagtgfJ27icBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  6. ^ a b Morales, Ed (2003). The Latin beat: the rhythms and roots of Latin music from bossa nova to salsa and beyond. Da Capo Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=Lpv25quOSnwC&pg=PA243&dq=%22carta+de+amor%22+bachata&hl=en&ei=yUuiTtymFNK4tgessYmlBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  7. ^ Barzuna, Guillermo (1997). Cantores que reflexionan. University of Costa Rica. p. 218. http://books.google.com/books?id=jH25y1myGYMC&pg=PA218&dq=%22estrellitas+y+duendes%22&hl=en&ei=iljNTsz6BsLqtgejufFa&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  8. ^ a b Aparicio, Frances; Jáquez, Cándida. Musical migrations: transnationalism and cultural hybridity in Latin/o America. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 25. http://books.google.com/books?id=QKQLMy0f0jYC&pg=PA25&dq=lea+lignanzi+juan+luis+guerra&hl=en&ei=hlSiTszNJ4a-tgfcyOGKBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  9. ^ Sellers, Julie (2004). Merengue and Dominican identity: music as national unifier. McFarland & Company. p. 150. http://books.google.com/books?id=37lhELyHYCIC&pg=PA150&dq=juan+luis+guerra+la+bilirrubina&hl=en&ei=RFaiTpv2NozqtgeqvZXICw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  10. ^ Manuel, Peter; Bibly, Kenneth; Largey, Michael (2006). Caribbean currents: Caribbean music from rumba to reggae. Temple University Press. p. 137. http://books.google.com/books?id=_7NIe_I298MC&pg=PA137&dq=juan+luis+guerra+burbujas+de+amor&hl=en&ei=z1qiTvGjGM21twf7iJStBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  11. ^ a b c Wilson, David. "Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews – Juan Luis Guerra". warr.org. http://www.warr.org/guerra.html#BachataRosa. Retrieved 2011-05-07. 
  12. ^ Blumenthal, Howard (1998). The world music CD listener's guide. Billboard Books. p. 67. 
  13. ^ "Top Latin Albums – Week of January 12, 1991". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. January 12, 1991. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/tropical-songs?chartDate=1991-01-12. Retrieved August 5, 2010. 
  14. ^ a b c "Bachata Rosa – Juan Luis Guerra". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/juan-luis-guerra-440/bachata-rosa/78503. Retrieved May 7, 2011. 
  15. ^ a b "American album certifications – Juan Luis Guerra – Bachata Rosa". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Bachata+Rosa%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  16. ^ a b Llewellyn, Howell (1991-10-12). "Global Music Pulse – Spain". Billboard (Prometheus Global Media) 103 (41): 72. http://books.google.com/books?id=bCgEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved May 7, 2011. 
  17. ^ a b "Juan Luis Guerra – Bachata Rosa" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. 1991-08-10. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Juan+Luis+Guerra+Y+4%2E40&titel=Bachata+rosa&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-05-07. 
  18. ^ a b "Dutch album certifications – Juan Luis Guerra – Bachata Rosa" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. http://www.ifpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=61112&documentid=1236445. 
  19. ^ a b "Brazilian album certifications – Juan Luis Guerra – Romance Rosa" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. http://abpd.org.br/certificados_interna.asp?sArtista=Juan+Luis+Guerra&tmidia=1. 
  20. ^ White, Timothy (1994-7-9). "Juan Luis Guerra's Frantic 'Fogaraté'". Billboard (Prometheus Global Media). http://books.google.com/books?id=XggEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22bachata+rosa%22+%225+million%22&q=%22bachata+rosa%22#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2011-11-21. 
  21. ^ "Como Abeja Al Panal". Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/juan-luis-guerra-440/como-aveja-al-panal/326215. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Juan Luis Guerra – Como Abeja al Panal" (in Dutch). Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Juan+Luis+Guerra+Y+4%2E40&titel=Como+abeja+al+panal&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  23. ^ a b "Bachata Rosa – Charts & Awards/Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://allmusic.com/album/bachata-rosa-r100524/charts-awards/billboard-single. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  24. ^ "Burbujas de Amor – Juan Luis Guerra". Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/juan-luis-guerra-440/burbujas-de-amor/326220. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Juan Luis Guerra – Burbujas de Amor" (in Dutch). Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Juan+Luis+Guerra+Y+4%2E40&titel=Burbujas+de+amor&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  26. ^ Wendt, Doug (1995). "Cafe Ole!". The Beat (Bongo Productions) 14: 40. 
  27. ^ "Estrellitas y Duendes – Juan Luis Guerra". Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/juan-luis-guerra-440/estrellitas-y-duendes/326217. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  28. ^ "Carta de Amor – Juan Luis Guerra". Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/juan-luis-guerra-440/cartas-de-amor/326216. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  29. ^ "Bachata Rosa – Juan Luis Guerra". Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/juan-luis-guerra-440/bachata-rosa/326221. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
  30. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Bachata Rosa – Review". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/album/bachata-rosa-r100524/review. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
  31. ^ a b Snowden, Don (March 29, 1992). "POP MUSIC : The Caribbean—Beyond Reggae and Salsa". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-03-29/entertainment/ca-89_1_pop-music. Retrieved 2011-05-07. 
  32. ^ "34th Grammy Awards – 1992". Rock On The Net. February 25, 1992. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1992/grammys.htm. Retrieved June 5, 2011. 
  33. ^ "Lo Nuestro 1991 – Historia de Premio lo Nuestro". Univision. http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=490982. Retrieved June 5, 2011. 
  34. ^ "Lo Nuestro 1992 – Historia de Premio lo Nuestro". Univision. http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=490980. Retrieved June 5, 2011. 
  35. ^ Sellers, Julie (2004). "Merengue and Dominican identity: music as national unifier". MacFarland. p. 155. http://books.google.com/books?id=37lhELyHYCIC&pg=PA155&dq=%22bachata+rosa%22&hl=en&ei=hb7FTZTYEsiutwewzrC4BA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CEUQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  36. ^ "Bachata Rosa — Credits". Allmusic. Rovi. http://allmusic.com/album/bachata-rosa-r100524/credits. Retrieved 2011-10-22.