Tengo Fe

Tengo Fe
Studio album by Carlos Vives
Released August 12, 1997
Genre Vallenato, Cumbia, Bambuco
Label Sonolux (Colombia)
EMI/Virgin Records (worldwide)
Carlos Vives chronology

La Tierra del Olvido
(1995)		 Tengo Fe
(1997)		 El Amor de Mi Tierra
(1999)

Tengo Fe is the eighth album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.

Released on August 12, 1997, 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 songwriter. The resulting album would be Vives's first major release without a hit single, and garnered a mixed reception due to a departure in Vives's sound and image.

Overview

The success of Vives's vallenato and rock fusion soldified his status as a major force in Latin American music. In the 10 year rise of Carlos's stardom, he had eclipsed his former success as a telenovela star and romantic balladeer, and turned to his Santa Marta roots singing classic vallenato in the Escalona soundtracks. Clásicos de la Provincia followed, marking a breakthrough for Carlos, updating and rearranging Colombian classics to a new generation. La Tierra del Olvido would mark his career with a mix of both classics, as well as new compositions, in the vallenato sound. Carlos's desire to seek further credibility as both singer and songwriter would become a major theme in this release, culminating in his first album of nearly all original music.

With his crossover success as a singer and composer, Vives had left behind his soap opera roots, in favor of his musical aspirations. After numerous album sales, hit singles, and a successful tour, Vives took some time off from the public. During this time, his fans had grown hungry for his next release of infectious music. When Vives appeared the following summer to promote his newest album, many were shocked by what they saw. Gone was his trademark long hair, his rugged clothing, and his extensive jewelry. Instead, Vives appeared clean-cut and casually dressed, trading in his denim for a conservative suit. Aside from his physical appearance, Vives's musical direction would reflect another change, his desire to be heard as composer, and not just another pop singer.

The album released, Tengo Fe (I Have Faith), was Vives's desire to break free of limiting himself to singing vallenato standards and party anthems. With a total of ten tracks, all but one track was written by Carlos, both in collaboration or alone. The first single, "Que Diera" ("What I Would Give") was released, with the accompanying video featuring Colombian model/actress Sofia Vergara. The song itself would prove a change of pace from "La Gota Fria" and "Pá Mayté". Despite its rich melody and luscious rhythms, "Que Diera" is of a slower tempo, and sung in ballad form. Layered with the signature sounds of wah-wah guitar from Ernesto "Teto" Ocampo and Egidio Cuadrado's accordion, the song makes prominent use of Mayte Montero's flute during the song's bridges. Despite its lackluster performance on the Billboard Charts, it is considered by many fans as one of Vives's finest compositions.

As it turned out, Tengo Fe was an album intended to be heard above all else. While Clásicos and Olvido maintained hip-shaking from party-goers and dance enthusiasts, Tengo Fe was much darker and subdued in its approach. The surprise came when "Que Diera", along with the Vives/Egidio Cuadrado track "Amores Escondidos" (Hidden Love), were the album's more upbeat tracks. Songs such as the album opener and title track, one of two songs written with pianist Carlos Ivan Medina, are piano driven, accompanied with cellos to give the song a darker atmosphere. Though the middle of the song builds towards familiar vallenato, it reverts to its somber tone, ending with an extended guitar solo. Other songs such as "Los Buenos Tiempos" (The Good Times), and "Pambe", make extensive use of piano-driven compositions, dealing with Carlos's commentary on innocence and nostalgia.

The theme of Tengo Fe makes for Carlos's most personal album to date. The singer's struggle with fame and what is expected of both his sound and image in "Malas Lenguas" ("Gossips") is Vives's swipe at critics, where he claims after encountering criticism for his distinctive look, the same persons are now criticising him for his more conventional appearance. While tracks such as "Cumbia Americana" is Vives's stab at mixing hard rock with his vallenato sound, the music itself resonates with a rhythm more experimental in comparison to Carlos's previous dance numbers. Other songs such as "Interior" and "Sol de Mediodia" ("Midday Sun") are further examples of the album's introspective ballads. The album concludes with a traditional arrangement of "Caballito" ("Rocking Horse"), which, unlike Vives's usual vallenato covers, is a popular song sung in children's playgrounds.

With Carlos's desire to spread his wings in both his writing and style, the album would result in a lukewarm reception. While many fans and critics found this album to be uncatchy and too much of a departure from the infectious vallenato rock Vives was known for, others point out the music's darker and introspective tone resulted in one of Carlos's finest albums, giving birth to Vives's career as a serious composer.

Track listing

  1. "Tengo Fé" (C. Vives, C. Medina) – 3:43
  2. "Qué Diera" (C. Vives) – 4:12
  3. "Buenos Tiempos" (C. Vives) – 3:51
  4. "Pambe" (C. Vives) – 3:46
  5. "Amores Escondidos" (C. Vives, E. Cuadrado) – 3:41
  6. "Interior" (C. Vives, C. Medina) – 3:33
  7. "Sol de Mediodía" (C. Vives) – 2:59
  8. "Cumbia Americana" (C. Vives) – 4:11
  9. "Malas Lenguas" (C. Vives)– 4:15
  10. "El Caballito" (Traditional Arrangement) – 3:44

Album credits

Performance Credits

Technical Credits

Popular Culture

In Chile, the song was featured in one episode of Chilean Radio OhMyGeek!

External links

For soundbites and further information, go to http://www.carlosvives.com