Vuelve () is the fourth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. Sony Discos and Columbia Records released it on February 12, 1998. Martin worked with producers KC Porter, Robi Draco Rosa, and Desmond Child to create the album. Following the worldwide success of the song "María" from his previous album, A Medio Vivir () (1995), Martin returned to the studio and began recording material while on tour. Vuelve is a Latin record with Latin dance numbers and pop ballads. "María" caught the attention of FIFA, who asked Martin to write an anthem for the 1998 FIFA World Cup being held in France. Martin subsequently recorded "La Copa de la Vida", composed by Porter, Rosa, and Desmond Child for the World Cup.
Critics' reviews of the album were generally positive; they praised its uptempo tracks and its production, though some criticized it for containing too many ballads. Martin received several accolades, including the Best Latin Pop Performance at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. Vuelve debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at number forty on the Billboard 200. Martin's performance of "La Copa de la Vida" on the Grammy Awards show was credited for boosting the album's sales. Certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it sold more than 888,000 copies in the United States, standing as the 10th best-selling Latin album in the country. Vuelve reached number one in Norway, Portugal, and Spain, as well as the top 10 in seven other countries, including Australia and Italy. As of 2008, the album had sold over six million copies worldwide.
Vuelve spawned six singles: its title track, "Vuelve", "La Copa de la Vida", "La Bomba", "Perdido Sin Ti", "Por Arriba, Por Abajo", and "Casi un Bolero". "Vuelve" and "Perdido Sin Ti" both reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs in the US while "La Copa de la Vida" became an international hit in both Europe and South America. For promotion, Martin embarked on the worldwide Vuelve tour performing in Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico, South America, and the United States.
Background and recording
In 1995, Ricky Martin released his third studio album, A Medio Vivir. On it, he shifted from his traditional ballad-style compositions to a riskier fusion of music focused on traditional Latin sounds, epitomized by the song "María". Taken aback by the starkly different musical style, his record label executives felt the song would ruin Martin's career. Despite this, "María" was chosen as the album's second single and became a breakthrough success, reaching number one in France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Turkey, and the whole of South America. As of 2014, A Medio Vivir has sold over three million copies worldwide. "María" caught the attention of FIFA. They contacted Martin in the middle of his tour and asked him to write an anthem for the 1998 World Cup; Martin subsequently recorded "La Copa de la Vida" () composed by KC Porter, Desmond Child, and fellow ex-member of Menudo Robi Draco Rosa.
While on tour in 1997, Martin returned to the studio and began recording material for his fourth studio album. He said the experience of touring and recording at the same time was "brutal and incredibly intense". He worked on the album with producers Porter and Rosa, and recorded it in studios across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Spain. The album's title, Vuelve, was announced on January 25, 1998. In an interview with CNN en Español, he emphasized it was going to "reaffirm the internationalization of my career and I know that it will help me a lot to destroy the stereotypes that may exist with my culture".
Composition and lyrics
Vuelve was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics with the uptempo tracks receiving with the most positive reactions. AllMusic's Jose F. Promis complimented Martin over how it "effectively balances" dance tracks and ballads. He cited "La Copa de la Vida" as the main highlight but preferred the original version on the album to the English-language adaption. He also lauded the other dance numbers from the record. Vilma Maldonado of The Monitor praised the record as "creative history" and its production as "seamless" and mentioned that "La Copa de la Copa" stands out the most. Writing for Vista magazine, Carmen Teresa Roiz described the record as a metamorphosis for Martin; she regarded it as the culmination of his music career in "all his splendor".
In the San Antonio Express-News, Ramiro Burr remarked Martin "took careful notes" following the success of "Maria" as Vuelve "continues in that same party fever vein but with more intensity". David Wild of Rolling Stone touted the record's "extremely polished and infectious Latin pop that's immediately accessible even to dogged English-speaking types". For The Dallas Morning News, Mario Tarradell complimented the singer for "showing a refreshing flair for diversity". He regarded the dance tunes "Lola, Lola", "La Bomba", and "Marcia Baila" as the best tracks on the album.
Critics, however, were divided on the ballads. Promis found some of them forgettable, particularly on the second half of the record.
Accolades
At the 10th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in 1998, Vuelve received a nomination for Pop Album of the Year, but lost to Me Estoy Enamorando by Alejandro Fernández. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999, Martin won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for Vuelve. At the 1999 Billboard Latin Music Awards, it won Pop Album of the Year by a Male Artist, and El Premio de la Gente for Male Pop Artist or Group and Album of the Year at the Ritmo Latino Music Awards in the same year. In 2015, the album was listed among Billboards 50 Essential Latin Albums of the 50 Past Years. An editor opined, "Pop and dance beats never sounded so good."
Commercial performance
In the US, Vuelve debuted atop the Billboard Top Latin Albums the week of February 28, 1998, succeeding Me Estoy Enamorando. The album spent 26 weeks in this position. Billboards Lannert credited its success on Valentine's Day weekend sales. On the US Billboard 200, Vuelve debuted at number 81. The album ended 1998 as the second best-selling Latin album (after Me Estoy Enamorando), and the best-selling Latin record the following year in the US. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Vuelve has sold over 888,000 copies in the US, making it the 10th best-selling Latin album in the country . It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over 1,000,000 units.
In Southeast Asia, Vuelve was certified gold in Singapore and platinum in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand.
|4
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!scope="row"|Italian Albums (Musica e dischi/FIMI)
|4
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!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
|19
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!scope="row"|Malaysian Albums (RIM)
|3
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!scope="row"|Portuguese Albums (AFP)
|1
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!scope="row"|Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
|1
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|-
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!scope="row"| Taiwanese International Albums (IFPI)
| 1
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Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1998 year-end chart performance for Vuelve
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (1998)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)
|26
|-
!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|91
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!scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|78
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!scope="row"|Norwegian Summer Period Albums (VG-lista)
|5
|-
!scope="row"|Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
|14
|-
!scope="row"|US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)
|2
|-
!scope="row"|US Latin Pop Albums (Billboard)
|34
|-
!scope="row"|US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)
|1
|-
!scope="row"|US Latin Pop Albums (Billboard)
|69
|}
All-time charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+All-time chart performance for Vuelve
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2018)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)
|5
|}
Certifications and sales
Release history
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats for Vuelve
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Format(s)
! scope="col"| Label(s)
! scope="col"|
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!scope="row"|Hong Kong
|February 10, 1998
|rowspan="3"|CD
|rowspan="2"|Columbia Records
|align="center"|
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!scope="row"|Taiwan
|March 11, 1998
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|April 22, 1998
|Epic/Sony Records
|align="center"|
|}
See also
- 1998 in Latin music
- List of best-selling albums in Turkey
- List of best-selling Latin albums
- List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States
- List of number-one Billboard Top Latin Albums from the 1990s
- List of number-one Billboard Latin Pop Albums from the 1990s
- List of number-one singles of 1998 (Spain)