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.
| Mas Canciones | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 19, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Mariachi, Latin, Mexican | |||
| Length | 40:40 | |||
| Label | Elektra, Rhino | |||
| Producer | George Massenburg | |||
| Linda Ronstadt chronology | ||||
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A significant hit in the U.S. for a non-English language album, it peaked at number 88 on the Billboard album chart, and reached number 16 on the Top Latin Albums chart. The single "Grítenme 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.
History
editMas Canciones was released four years after the release of Ronstadt's Double Platinum-certified, first Spanish-language 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
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Chicago Tribune | [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[5] |
| 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
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tata Dios" | Valeriano Trejo | 4:19 |
| 2. | "El Toro Relajo" | Felipe Bermejo | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Mi Ranchito" | Felipe Valdés Leal | 3:33 |
| 4. | "La Mariquita" | Rubén Fuentes | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Grítenme Piedras del Campo" | Cuco Sánchez | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Siempre Hace Frío" | Cuco Sánchez | 3:18 |
| 7. | "El Crucifijo de Piedra" | Roberto Cantoral | 3:16 |
| 8. | "Palomita de Ojos Negros" | Tomás Méndez | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Pena de los Amores" | José Luis Almada | 4:00 |
| 10. | "El Camino" | Jesús Navarro, Jr. | 3:29 |
| 11. | "El Gustito" | Elpidio Ramírez | 2:36 |
| 12. | "El Sueño" | Nicandro Castillo | 3:41 |
| Total length: | 40:40 | ||
Personnel
edit- Linda Ronstadt – vocals
- Linda Ronstadt, Michael J. Ronstadt and Pete Ronstadt – trio voices (4, 10, 12)
- Juan José Almaguer, Jesús Guzmán, Santiago Maldonado, José Martínez, Juan Morales and Rafael Palomar – chorus
Musicians
- Rubén Fuentes – arrangements and conductor
- Flaco Jiménez – accordion (8)
- Leonel Gálvez – guitars
- Rafael Palomar – guitars
- Gilberto Puente – guitars
- Raúl Puente – guitars
- Enrique de Santiago – guitarrón
- Víctor "El Pato" Cárdenas – vihuela
- Angela Koregelos – flute (1, 11)
- Katheryn McElrath – flute (1, 11)
- Martin Lara – trumpet
- Federico Torres – first trumpet
- Santiago Maldonado – harp
- Juan José Almaguer – violin
- Nati Cano – violin
- Pedro García – violin
- Jesús Guzmán – violin
- José Martínez, Jr. – first violin
- Mario Rodríguez – violin
Production
edit- Rubén Fuentes – producer
- George Massenburg – producer, recording, mixing
- Nathaniel Kunkel – recording
- Kevin Scott – recording assistant
- Craig Silvey – recording assistant
- M.T. Silvia – recording assistant
- Doug Sax – mastering
- Alan Yoshida – mastering
- The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California) – mastering location
- Ivy Skoff – production coordinator
- Janet Stark – production coordinator
- John Kosh – art direction, design
- Gilbert Ronstadt – artwork, painting
- William Coupon – photography
- Rossy Corsly – translation
- Mercedes Dalton – translation
- Linda Ronstadt – translation
Charts
edit| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United States (Billboard 200) | 88 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | November 19, 1991 |
|
Elektra Records | [8] |
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Ronstadt, Linda (November 19, 1991). "Mas Canciones (Liner Notes)". Elektra Records. 9-61239-4 (Cassette); 9-61239-2 (CD).