Mas Canciones
| Mas Canciones | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November, 1991 / Re-released in 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Mariachi, Latin, Mexican | |||
| Length | 40:40 | |||
| Label | Elektra, Rhino | |||
| Producer | George Massenburg & Rubén Fuentes | |||
| Linda Ronstadt chronology | ||||
| ||||
Mas Canciones (correct form: Más canciones;[1] Spanish for "more songs") is an album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt, released in late 1991.
Although it was a significant hit for a non-English language album, it peaked at number 88 on the Billboard album chart. It also reached number 16 on the Top Latin Albums chart. The single "Gritenme Piedras del Campo" peaked at number 15 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.
In 2016, this album was reissued on the Rhino label after several years out of print. Per Nielsen SoundScan, it is currently close to 400,000 copies in American sales as of December 2016.
History
Mas Canciones was released four years after the release of Ronstadt's Double Platinum-certified, first Mexican album, Canciones de Mi Padre.[2]
"The reason I did it is selfish," Ronstadt said in an interview. "I had started to make a record in English, but I didn't like it and put it away. I found myself sleeping and dreaming in Spanish, and these songs were driving me crazy. I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking that the musicians who know this music are old, and if they go I won't have anybody to help me do it. I didn't dare put it off another minute."[2]
The album, according to Ronstadt, "concentrated more on trio and ensemble singing than did its predecessor." For the vocal trios, Ronstandt was joined by her two brothers, Pete and Mike. Pete Ronstadt at the time was the chief of police in Tucson, Arizona, where Mike owned a hardware store. Except for the professional guitar-playing, Ronstadt said, the arrangements are the same as those they sang in the living room when they were growing up.[2]
Mas Canciones won Linda the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album.[3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[5] |
| Chicago Tribune | [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
In his Allmusic review, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album a "thoroughly enjoyable collection of Spanish and Mexican songs that is arguably stronger than its predecessor, since Ronstadt sounds more comfortable with the material than ever before."[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tata Dios" (Father God) | Valeriano Trejo | 4:19 |
| 2. | "El Toro Relajo" (The Partying Bull) | Felipe Bermejo | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Mi Ranchito" (My Little Ranch) | Felipe Valdes Leal | 3:33 |
| 4. | "La Mariquita" (The Ladybug) | Rubén Fuentes | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Gritenme Piedras del Campo" (Scream to Me Stones in the Field) | Cuco Sanchez | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Siempre Hace Frio" (It's Always Cold) | Cuco Sanchez | 3:18 |
| 7. | "El Crucifijo de Piedra" (The Crucifix of Stone) | Roberto Cantoral | 3:16 |
| 8. | "Palomita de Ojos Negros" (A Little White Dove With Black Eyes) | Tomas Mendez | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Pena de los Amores" (Love Sorrows) | Jose Luis Almada | 4:00 |
| 10. | "El Camino" (The Road) | Jesus Navarro, Jr. | 3:29 |
| 11. | "El Gustito" (The Taste) | Elpidio Ramirez | 2:36 |
| 12. | "El Sueño" (The Dream) | Nicandro Castillo | 3:41 |
| Total length: | 40:40 | ||
Personnel
- Linda Ronstadt – vocals
- Pete Ronstadt – vocals
- Michael J. Ronstadt – vocals
- Leonel Galvez – guitar
- Gilberto Puente – guitar
- Pedro Garcia – violin
- Flaco Jiménez – accordion
- Angela Koregelos – flute
- Martin Lara – trumpet
- Juan Jose Almaguer – choir, chorus, violin
- Jesús Guzmán – choir, chorus, violin
- Santiago Maldonado – choir, chorus, harp
- José Martínez – choir, chorus
- Rafael Palomar – choir, chorus, guitar
- Juan Morales – choir, chorus
- Nati Cano – violin
- Víctor "El Pato" Cardenas – vihuela
- José Martínez, Jr. – violin
- Katie McElrath – flute
- Mario Rodriguez – violin
- Federico Torres – trumpet
Production notes:
- George Massenburg – producer, engineer, mixing
- Rubén Fuentes – producer, arranger, conductor
- Doug Sax – mastering
- Alan Yoshida – mastering
- Nathaniel Kunkel – engineer
- Kevin Scott – assistant engineer
- Craig Silvey – assistant engineer
- M.T. Silvia – assistant engineer
- John Kosh – art direction, design
- Gilbert Ronstadt – artwork, painting
- Rossy Corsly – translation
- Mercedes Dalton – translation
- Linda Ronstadt – translation
- William Coupon – photography
References
- ^ The album's title as published is cosmetically incorrect. According to Spanish orthographical rules, the word más ("more") must have an accent over the vowel to distinguish it from mas ("but"). http://www.bowdoin.edu/~eyepes/newgr/ats/03.htm
- ^ a b c The New York Times Article by Stephen Holden: 04 December 1991
- ^ Chronology of awards for Linda Ronstadt Archived 2010-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mas Canciones - Linda Ronstadt". Allmusic. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ Owen, Frank (17 January 1992). "Mas Canciones Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ Obejas, Achy (12 December 1991). "Linda Ronstadt Mas Canciones". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ McLane, Daisann (6 February 1992). "Mas Canciones". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
