Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 3143
Date: 05/30/1987Debut: 66
Peak: 5
Weeks: 17
Genre: Latin Pop, Dance-Pop
Pop Bits: After seven Spanish-language albums and one in English, Miami Sound Machine's Latin pop sound broke through to the US mainstream with the left-field hit "Conga" (#10 Pop) from their LP Primitive Love. It can sometimes be difficult to score a second hit after a uniquely styled single, but the band easily managed that and ended up scoring two more Top 10 hits. The album would then go on to be a triple-platinum seller. Their next hurdle would be to record a successful follow-up album. Although Let It Loose would be their tenth LP, it acted more like a sophomore effort after such a major breakthrough. Any doubts about whether they were a flash-in-the-pan were quickly put to rest when this first single was issued out. The song would get to #5 at both Pop and Dance while reaching #31 at AC. The hit helped the album become their first to make the Top 10 (#6). It would quickly go gold and eventually it would match the three-million mark of Primitive Love.
ReduxReview: Miami Sound Machine came along at the right time. Thanks to Latin freestyle expanding on the charts and the success of other Latin pop artists like Julio Iglesias, the band's mix of Latin music with contemporary pop was a natural extension. They weren't strictly Latin-based either and dabbled in straight-up pop and AC, which gained them an even bigger audience. This single certainly had a lot of international flair and it was the perfect track to kick off their album. The call-and-response was a memorable, crowd pleasing add while the roar and punctuated keyboards added emphasis. The beat and rhythm kept things moving with Estefan letting you know that her rhythm was gonna get you, so watch out. It certainly did and it was easily a Top 10 hit. The song was just a lot of fun and it became another signature tune for Estefan and the band.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: The success of Primitive Love brought changes to the band that would be reflected with Let It Loose. After a big worldwide tour, several members left the band. When the dust settled, the only original members remaining were Gloria Estefan and drummer/songwriter Enríqué "Kíki" García. Even Estefan's husband Emilio, who founded the group, decided to take a role behind the scenes. With the changes and Gloria Estefan's star rising thanks to here leading position, it was decided that she should get top billing on the new album. Therefore, Let It Loose was credited to Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. The success of the album pushed Estefan even further into the limelight and it provided proof that her name could sell records. Because of that, Let It Loose became the last album credited to Miami Sound Machine. While they would usually remain Estefan's backing band on tour and sometimes on record, further albums by Estefan would be solo efforts.
_________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment