Song#: 3523
Date: 05/21/1988
Debut: 94
Peak: 80
Weeks: 5
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: This Latin music superstar broke through to the mainstream with his first English-language album 1100 Bel Air Place. It featured his first major hit, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," a duet with Willie Nelson that reached #5 Pop/#3 AC/#1 Country and went platinum. A second single, "All of You," another duet song this time with Diana Ross, also did well getting to #19 Pop/#2 AC. The album would be his biggest crossover success getting to #5 Pop and eventually selling over four million copies. After that big success, Iglesias could have chosen to do another English album, but instead returned to Latin music for 1985's Libra, which thanks to the success of his previous LP made it to #92 on the US Pop chart. Next up was 1987's Un hombre solo, an album that finally earned Iglesias his first Grammy award (Best Latin Pop Album). Not wanting to neglect his mainstream audience, Iglesias then recorded his second English-language album, Non Stop. For the LP, he'd go the duet route again this time with Stevie Wonder, who would write, produce, and sing on the first single "My Love." The tune would do well at AC getting to #14, but it didn't fully click at Pop where it stalled low on the chart. It also scratched the R&B chart at #88. Still, the album would sell well and get to #52. It would take about three years, but the LP would eventually go gold. The single would be Iglesias' last one to reach the US Pop chart.
ReduxReview: I want to call this tune awful, but I can't because it isn't really all that bad. It is just not my thing. It is, however, a vat of cheez whiz. It sounds like one of those songs that is sung at the end of a telethon. The song probably played well on AC, which really was Iglesias' main audience, but this bit o' treacle wasn't gonna get anywhere at Pop. I'm even surprised it got on the chart. Stevie Wonder can be a master of sap when he wants to be and he certainly was here. His presence, complete with the obligatory harmonica solo, probably helped the song along (and let it squeak on R&B chart), but it was definitely not one of Wonder's best efforts. While matching up Iglesias with Wonder was a good idea, this just wasn't the right song. Also, Iglesias was a huge star at the time and on CBS, so he could have worked with most any songwriter/producer. Why he didn't get paired with someone like Burt Bacharach is beyond me. Luther Vandross would have been really interesting as well. Anything/anyone would have been better than this gooey schmaltz.
ReduxRating: 2/10
Trivia: While Iglesias would mainly continue to record Latin albums, once in a while he would push out an English-language effort. In 1990, he released the pop standards album Starry Night. It would be a #37 gold seller. Then in 1994, he recorded a covers album titled Crazy, which featured duets with Dolly Parton, Dave Koz, and Art Garfunkel. It would get to #30 and also go gold. His last album to make the Pop chart was the 1996 Spanish-language concept LP Tango. It got to #81 and would go gold. While Iglesias would be recognized as the best selling Latin artist worldwide in history, his son would certainly surpass his achievements on the US charts. Enrique Iglesias would become a major crossover star that to-date has scored five Pop Top 10 hits, including two #1's, along with three Top 10 albums.
_________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment