album rating: ★★★★★
Genre: Bachata / merengue / bolero / Latin jazz / salsa. Bachata Rosa ('Romantic Bachata' or 'Pink Bachata') is the fifth studio album by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra (born Santo Domingo, 1957) and his group 4.40, released on 11 December 1990 by Karen Records. It is one of the most consequential albums in the history of Latin American popular music: the record that brought bachata — a genre rooted in the rural Dominican Republic, characterised by its acoustic guitar, bongos and maracas, and for decades marginalised as too crude and lower-class for radio and mainstream consumption — into the worldwide spotlight. Guerra transformed the genre by infusing it with his Berkeley-trained musicianship, jazz harmonics, metaphorical poetry and luminous production, adding merengue, bolero, salsa ('Carta de Amor') and jazz elements alongside the bachatas. The album's songwriting is Guerra's most celebrated: 'Burbujas de Amor', 'Bachata Rosa', 'Rosalía', 'La Bilirrubina', 'Estrellitas y Duendes', 'A Pedir Su Mano'. All tracks were written by Guerra. Vocal arrangements and instrumentation were performed and arranged by Guerra and 4.40. The album was recorded primarily at the 440 Studio in New York, with additional sessions at Audio Proceso and Estudios EMCA in Santo Domingo, Midilab in Santo Domingo, and Ochoa Recording Studios in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Executive producer: Bienvenido Rodríguez. Mixed by Jon Fausty.
Label: Karen Records (Dominican Republic/international), released 11 December 1990.
Producer: Juan Luis Guerra (also performer and arranger). Executive producer: Bienvenido Rodríguez.
Recording studios: 440 Studio, New York, USA; Audio Proceso, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Estudios EMCA, Santo Domingo; Midilab, Santo Domingo; Ochoa Recording Studios, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Critical reception: Bachata Rosa was received as a revelation. AllMusic gave it a 90/100 score, calling it 'a milestone effort that spawned seven hit singles, garnered critical acclaim from all corners, and popularized bachata on an international scale.' Music & Media named Guerra the most important Latin artist of the decade. According to Wikipedia, the album received major US media coverage — in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Village Voice and The Wall Street Journal — making Guerra the first tropical artist to receive this level of mainstream attention. It was awarded the Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album.
Commercial success: Bachata Rosa debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart and held the position for 24 weeks. It sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide by 1991 and over 5 million by 1994. It was certified platinum in the USA (Latin field) and seven times platinum in Spain. A Portuguese version, Romance Rosa (1992), was certified gold in Brazil. The Bachata Rosa World Tour (1991–92) drew over 350,000 fans and broke attendance records in major US cities. The album topped the charts in Mexico, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Holland and Belgium.
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