Todo a su Tiempo (Marc Anthony album)

Todo a su tiempo (English: "All in Due Time") is the second studio album by American recording artist Marc Anthony, released by RMM Records on May 30, 1995. The album was produced by Sergio George, who was also involved with production of Anthony's debut studio album, Otra Nota. The album comprises of five new compositions, three of which were written by Omar Alfanno, and four cover versions. Eight singles were released from the album, all of which topped the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.

Todo a su tiempo peaked at number six on the Billboard Latin Albums chart and debuted at number one on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. The album garnered critical praise as a major improvement over his first album and for revolutionizing the salsa music genre. It received a Grammy nomination, a Billboard Latin Music award, and a Lo Nuestro award. Two years later, the album made history as the first salsa disc to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Since the album's release, it has sold over 800,000 copies.

Background

Following the release of his debut album, Otra nota, in 1993, Anthony continued to work with producer Sergio George for the recording of Todo a su tiempo. Recording for the album took place at the Sound on Sound Studios and the Quad Recording Studios in New York City.^[1] According to George, Otra Nota was an experimental album and was on a low budget.^[2] George allowed Anthony to choose his own material and described the recording as more "mixed and aggressive".^[2] Anthony described naming the album:

The album took awhile, but I learned that you can't be afraid of time, waiting. I also learned there is a right time for everything which is why I named the album "Todo a Su Tiempo"

—Marc Anthony, Todo a Su Tiempo (CD liner notes ^[1])

Composition and covers

The album comprises nine tracks, four of which are covers of songs previously recorded by several performers. Panamanian songwriter Omar Alfanno composed three tracks from the album: "Te conozco bien" ("I Know You Well"), "Nadie como ella" ("Nobody Like Her"), and "Llegaste a mi" ("You Came to Me").^[3] The ballad "Y sigues siendo tu" ("And You Still Being You") was composed by Puerto Rican composers Eduardo Reyes, Laura Reyes, and Guadalupe Garcia.^[4] "Vieja mesa" ("Old Table") was composed by Dominican musician Víctor Víctor.^[4] The song incorporates the sound of bachata-influenced bolero.^[5] "Se me sigue olvidando" ("I'm Still Forgetting") was first performed by José Feliciano on his 1986 album, Te amaré.^[6] "Por amar se da todo" ("To Love Gives Everything") was performed by Danny Rivera on the 1993 album of the same name.^[7] Manny Delgado wrote the song "Hasta ayer" ("Until Yesterday") for the Venezuelan pop band Los Terrícolas in 1979.^[8] In the album, Anthony recorded the song as a bolero.^[9] "Te amaré" ("I Will Love You") was written by The Barrio Boyzz member Angel Ramirez Jr. for their 1993 album, Donde quiera donde estes.^[10]

Commercial reception

Album

Todo a su tiempo was released on May 30, 1995, in the United States and was distributed by Sony Music until 1996, when it was distributed by Universal Music Group.^[11] The album debuted at number six on the Billboard Latin Albums chart for the week of June 17, 1995.^[12] The same week, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard Tropical Albums and remained in that position for five consecutive weeks.^[13] A year later, the album returned to number one on the chart, and held the position for a total of six non-consecutive weeks.^[14] It was third-best-selling tropical album of 1996 in the United States.^[9] During the week of April 12, 1997, the album once again reached number one the chart and held the position for four weeks.^[15] Two years after the album was released, it became the first salsa disc to receive a gold certification by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 units.^[16][9] The album has sold over 800,000 copies as of 2001.^[17]

Singles

"Te conozco bien" was the lead single from the album. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Latin Song chart and became his first number-one single on the Billboard Tropical Song chart.^[18][19] The song spent eight weeks on top of the chart and was named the best-performing tropical song of the year.^[20] The second single, "Se me sigue olvidando", reached number six on the Billlboard Latin Songs chart. It became his second number-one single on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart; it spent six weeks on top of the chart.^[21][22] The third single, "Nadie como ella" , peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Latin songs and became his third number-one on the Tropical Songs chart.^[23][24] The fourth single, "Te amaré", reached number six on the Billboard Latin Songs chart and became his fourth single to reach number one on the Tropical Songs chart.^[25][26] The fifth single, "Llegaste a mi" , reached number eleven on the Billboard Latin Songs chart and spent two weeks number one on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.^[27][28] "Hasta ayer" was the sixth single to be released from the album. It peaked at number six on the Billboard Latin Songs chart and was number one on the Billboard Tropical Songs for three weeks.^[29][30] As the song was a bolero, RMM executive Ralph Mercado responded to the success of the song by stating that Anthony was no longer just a salsa musician.^[9] The seventh single, "Por amar se da todo", peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard Latin Songs and at number one on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.^[31][32] The last single, "Vieja mesa", peaked at number seven on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.^[24]

Critical reception

Todo a su tiempo received praise from music critics. Evan Gutierrez of Allmusic gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the album as a step forward over Otra nota. He described Anthony's voice as "soaring" and "luminescent". He cited the album as setting the bar for salsa music and closed the review by it calling the album "without question one of the finest salsa records of the '90s".^[33] David Wilson of Wilson and Alroy's Record Review felt the album was an improvement from his last album, and commended the George's arrangements as "varied and interesting". He referred "Por amar se da todo" as a song that "doesn't let up" and "Nadie como ella" as "obvious, but catchy". Of the song "Y sigues siendo tu", Wilson said that Anthony is " one of the few current male singers who can really make you believe in a sappy ballad".^[34] Achy Obejas of the Chicago Tribune gave the album a four-star rating and enjoyed how Anthony put a variety of sounds, including hip-hop and R&B, to "good use". She referred to "Hasta ayer" as an "an oldie but goodie totally transformed by soulful crooning".^[35] Billboard's mentioned Anthony as "grafting his muy soulful baritone onto vivid romantic narratives" and acknowledged "Nadie como ella" and "Se me sigue olvidando" as "upbeat".^[5] Nestor Louis of Palo Salsero found the lyrics to be "emotionally charged with authenticity" and the music "exceptional", although he stated that the album at times felt "a little hollow and dry".^[36] A writer for the Village Voice penned that the tracks were "nine swirling, complex dance tunes".^[17]

At the 38th Grammy Awards, the album received a nomination for "Best Tropical Latin Performance", which was awarded to Gloria Estefan's Abriendo Puertas.^[37] Anthony received two Billboard Latin Music Awards, including "Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year" and "Tropical/Salsa Hot Latin Track of the Year" for the song "Te conozco bien".^[38] In 1997, the album received a Lo Nuestro award for "Tropical Album of the Year".^[39] George left RMM Records in 1996 to form his own record studio and did not work with Anthony again until the release of Valió la pena in 2004.^[40][41]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

The following credits are from Allmusic and from Todo a su tiempo liner notes.^[4][1]

Performance credits

Technical credits

Chart performance

Certification

Release history

See also

• List of number-one Billboard Tropical Albums from the 1990s
• Music of Puerto Rico

References