Aries (album)

In 1991 Miguel released his eighth studio album, Romance, a collection of classic boleros, the oldest of which originated in the 1940s. The album, which was produced by Armando Manzanero and arranged by Bebu Silvetti, was a commercial success in Latin America and sold over seven million copies worldwide. It revived interest in the bolero genre and was the first record by a Spanish-speaking artist to be certified gold in Brazil, Taiwan, and the United States. When asked why he chose not to record more boleros, he replied "I wanted to try my music, just forgetting a little bit about those boleros that everyone knows". He began working with the composers for the album a year before recording in a studio in 1992; in Miguel's words, he wanted to "discuss the works, the themes, and melodies; ... The creation of an album has to be part of me or else I would not be able to interpret it, or sing in it". On 24 August 1992, Mexican newspaper El Siglo de Torreón reported that Miguel had begun collaborating with David Foster and Juan Carlos Calderón on some compositions, along with English-speaking composers, and selecting cover versions for the album. He also received assistance from Cuban composer Rudy Pérez and Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra with the songwriting. Miguel had difficulty finding a suitable producer for the record; he initially worked with American audio engineer Bruce Swedien, but decided to re-record the whole album after disagreements with Swedien's direction. Unable to find a producer, he decided to co-produce the album with his long-time associate Kiko Cibrian. About the naming of the album he said, "This album expresses my personal self. I had a lot to do. I produced everything and wanted to have a lot of fun, take what I like, and what better than the zodiac sign representing what one is." ==Composition==

Aries is composed of ten tracks, six of which are romantic ballads. Miguel said the mixture of ballads and uptempo music was done to "keep a steady musical line" because he did not want his music to be unrecognizable. Burr characterized the song as a "lush ballad sung by Miguel in his stylistic romantic swagger that simultaneously conveys pride and pain". Similarly, John Lannert wrote for the Sun-Sentinel that the track was comparable to Romances "sparse lyrical muse and smooth musical backdrop". Achy Obejas of the Chicago Tribune labeled the ballads "Hasta El Fin" and "Tú y Yo" as "luxuriantly slow narratives of love lost". ==Singles and promotion==

"Ayer" was released as the lead single from Aries on 17 May 1993. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States the week of 17 July 1993, and stayed there for three weeks. The three music videos for "Ayer" were directed by Benny Corral, Rubén Galindo, and Gustavo Garzón respectively. The music videos were filmed in a mansion in Mexico City. "Ayer" ended 1993 as the sixth-best-performing Latin song of the year in the US. It also topped the ballads chart in Mexico. The album's second single, "Hasta Que Me Olvides", was released in August 1993 and reached number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart the week of October 23, and remained there for three weeks. The album's third single, "Suave", was released in 1993 and peaked at number nine on the Hot Latin Songs chart and number on the Mexican ballads chart. Its music video was directed by Kiko Guerrero and features Miguel dancing with several women on a beach. "Hasta el Fin" and "Tú y Yo" were released as promotional singles in the US and both peaked at number four on the Hot Latin Songs chart. "Pensar en Ti" received airplay in Mexico and reached number one on its ballads chart, while "Me Niego a Estar Solo" was released as a promotional single in Spain in 1993. To promote the album, Miguel began his Aries Tour on 29 May at the 1993 Acapulco Festival in Mexico. After his performances in Mexico, he toured several countries in Latin America beginning with Argentina, and later performed in the US. His set list consisted mainly of pop songs and ballads from Aries and his earlier career, as well as boleros from Romance, which he performed during the second half of the concerts. ==Critical reception==

Upon its release, Aries received mixed reactions from music critics. AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of five and found the ballads to be "sometimes a little too syrupy". He complimented some of the dance tunes such as "Suave" and "Dame Tu Amor", but said "Luz Verde" was a "somewhat dated attempt at early-'90s Latin hip-hop R&B". Chicago Tribune music critic Achy Obejas gave the record two-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it "a kind of middle ground between Romance and its lush ballads, and the bouncy pop of 20 Años, its immediate antecedent". She praised Miguel's vocals as "wonderfully nuanced and dramatic", and said the ballads mostly "work", but that "the uptempo tunes fall flat most of the time". At the 6th Lo Nuestro Awards in the same year, the album won the award for Pop Album of the Year and Miguel was named Pop Male Artist of the Year. He also received two nominations in the category of Pop Song of the Year for "Hasta Que Me Olvides" and "Ayer"; the latter track was also nominated Video of the Year. At the inaugural Billboard Latin Music Awards in 1994, Miguel received two awards including Pop Album of the Year and Pop Male Artist of the Year. Miguel was awarded Best Male Singer, Best Male Show for the tour, and Best Disc for the album at the 1994 Eres awards. ==Commercial performance==

Aries was released internationally on 22 June 1993, In Mexico, the album was certified quadruple platinum; it has sold over one million copies in the country. Aries remained in this position until it was replaced by the Gipsy Kings's album Love and Liberté 20 weeks later. Aries peaked at number one on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart and stayed at the top for 19 weeks. It ended 1993 as the second best-selling Latin pop album in the US after Romance. ==Track listing==

All recordings produced by Luis Miguel and Kiko Cibrian, except where noted. • Pérez • Carlos Castellón - Jorge L. Piloto (Spanish adaptation)}} • David Foster • Jeremy Lubbock}} • Miguel • Cibrian • Foster }} • Emilio Castillo • Stephen Kupka}} • Miguel • Cibrian • Castillo}} • Adrián Posse • Cibrian}} }} ==Personnel==

Adapted from the Aries liner notes: Musicians • Robbie Buchanan – keyboards , arranger • Marcel East – keyboards, arranger and programming • Randy Kerber – keyboards, arranger • Nick Milo – keyboards • Jorge Calandrelli – electric piano, arranger • John Robinson – drums • Harvey Mason – drums • Francis Russ McKinnon – drums • Kiko Cibrian – guitar , background vocals , arranger , programing , brass arrangements • Michael Landau – guitar • Carmen Grillo – guitar • Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar • Dean Parks – Acoustic guitar • Paulinho da Costa – percussion • Neil Stubenhaus – bass • Freddie Washington – bass • Rocco Prestia – bass • Jerry Hey – brass, brass arrangements • Dan Higgins – brass • Gary Grant – brass • Bill Reichenbach Jr. – brass • Kirk Whalum – saxophone solo • Emilio Castillo – tenor saxophone , background vocals • Brandon Fields – tenor saxophone • Stephen "Doc" Kupka – baritone saxophone • Greg Adams – trumpet, arranger • Lee Thornburg – trombone, trumpet • Tower of Power – guest artist • Annie Cruz – background vocals • Iliana Holland – background vocals • Dan Navarro – background vocals • Tom Bowes – background vocals The Hollywood String Ensemble • Ezra Kliger – concertmaster, violin • Paul C. Shure – violin • Shari Zippert – violin • Roman Volodarsky – violin • Barbara J. Porter – violin • Vladimir Polimatidi – violin • Cordon H. Marron – violin • Charles H. Everett – violin • Norman J. Hughes – violin • Joel Derouin – violin • Sid Page – violin • Linda Rose – violin • R.F. Peterson – violin • John J. Wittenberg – violin • Leslie J. Woodbury – violin • Endre Granat – violin • Alexander Horvath – violin • Israel Baker – violin • Herschel P. Wiserenita Koven – viola • Raymond J. Tisher II – viola • James J. Ross – viola • John T. Acevedo – viola • Cynthia Morrow – viola • Larry Corbett – cello • Daniel W. Smith – cello • Nancy Stein – cello • Roger Lebow – cello • Steve G. Edelman – contrabass • Jon C. Clarke – English horn, oboe • Joseph Meyer – French horn • Calvin Smith – French horn • Michael A. Englander – percussion Production • Luis Miguel – producer • Kiko Cibrian – co-producer • Mauricio Abaroa – executive producer • Julio Saenz – executive producer • Benny Faccone – engineer, mixing • Humberto Gatica – mixing • Paul McKenna – mixing • Rudy Pérez – co-producer in the voice recording • Emilio Castillo – co-producer in "Que Nivel de Mujer" • Jose Quintana – production coordination • Ezra Kliger – production coordination • Jim Champagne – assistant engineer, mixing assistant • Noel Hazen – assistant engineer, mixing assistant • Bryan Pollack – assistant engineer, mixing assistant • Kimm James – assistant engineer, mixing assistant • Bernie Grundman – mastering • Cartel Diseñadores – design • Alfredo Gatica – artistic coordination • Carlos Somonte – photography • Bruce Swedien – special thanks for their collaboration in this production ==Charts==

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts All-time charts ==Certifications and sales==