album rating: ★★★★☆
Genre: Salsa romántica / salsa. Nace Aquí ('Born Here') is the eighth studio album by Gilberto Santa Rosa (born Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés, Santurce, Puerto Rico, 1962), the singer known throughout the Latin world as 'El Caballero de la Salsa' ('The Gentleman of Salsa') for his elegant vocal style, his sophisticated romantic sensibility and his rigorous musical craft. Santa Rosa is one of the most celebrated salseros of his generation, trained in the New York Latin music world of the 1980s and distinguished by a voice and approach that owe as much to bolero and Latin jazz as to the more combative traditions of salsa dura. Nace Aquí was his fourth album on Sony Latin and was recorded at Tele Sound Studios in San Juan, Puerto Rico, under the musical direction of Ramón Sánchez. The album features the core rhythm section and brass ensemble typical of Santa Rosa's live band, with notable guests including the celebrated Puerto Rican flautist and soprano saxophonist Furito Ríos and guitarist José Che Vega. Arrangements were distributed among Ramón Sánchez, Louis García, Humberto Ramírez, Bobby Valentín, Julito Alvarado, Papo Lucca, Georgie Padilla and Lenny Prieto — an exceptionally distinguished roster that included the great Papo Lucca of Sonora Ponceña. Key tracks include 'Sin Voluntad' and 'Me Volvieron a Hablar de Ella' (both composed by Omar Alfanno), 'Amor de Umbral' (arranged by Bobby Valentín) and 'Que Manera de Quererte' (arranged by Papo Lucca and Georgie Padilla).
Label: Sony Music Distribution (USA) / Sony Tropical (Puerto Rico / Latin America), released 6 August 1993.
Producer: Gilberto Santa Rosa. Co-producer: Ramón Sánchez.
Recording studio: Tele Sound Studios, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Critical reception: AllMusic described Nace Aquí as demonstrating that 'Gilberto Santa Rosa rises once more', praising stand-out tracks 'Sin Voluntad' and 'Me Volvieron a Hablar de Ella' as 'sure-fire hits' and noting that 'Amor de Umbral' and 'Que Manera de Quererte' are 'particularly tasteful'. The sole critical reservation mentioned was a sense of déjà vu over some of the romantic material.
Commercial success: Nace Aquí was a strong commercial success in the Latin market, particularly among Puerto Rican and Caribbean audiences, and contributed to Santa Rosa's consolidation as the preeminent figure of salsa romántica in the mid-1990s. The album is cited in the Discogs liner notes as the Caballero himself declaring: 'When the feeling of a people, the life experiences, the joy and the response of a people in their dance come together... my music is BORN HERE.'
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