Life

Performer: Ricky Martin
Artist: Amerie
Producer: Danny Lopez; David Cabrera
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Ricky Martin (vocals); Rusty Anderson (acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer organ); Danny Lopez (electric guitar); Patrick Warren (sitar); Teddy Mulet (strings, chamberlin, keyboards); George Noriega, Dave Cabrera, Jose Antonio Molina (strings); Noriega (fretless bass); Jorge Casas (percussion). Ricky Martin had some trouble recapturing the commercial success of his 1999 self-titled debut. After a disappointing follow-up and a bit of a hiatus, Martin released LIFE in 2005, a clear bid for commercial re-acceptance. LIFE teems with glossy, high-end production (especially the tracks helmed by Beyonce producer Scott Storch), star cameos (Fat Joe and members of Black Eyed Peas take turns on the mic), and a cornucopia of pop styles, all of which makes for an enjoyable, if somewhat uneven, listen. Martin opens the record with "Til I Get To You," an expansive, mid-tempo number with a slinky verse that gives way to an epically dramatic chorus. From there he tries on urban contemporary dance tracks ("I Don't Care"), sweeping balladry (Diane Warren's "Stop Time Tonight"), stabs at reggaeton ("I Am"), and funky soul (the title track). Interestingly, by mixing rock, hip-hop, Latin flavors, contemporary R&B, and reggaeton--essentially, by covering every available base--Martin almost guarantees himself a hit on this slick collection of palatable contemporary pop.

Getting his start as part of teenyboppers Menudo in the '80s, and staying in the public's eye as an actor on General Hospital, Ricky Martin launched his own solo career by the late-'90s. Nobody could have predicted Martin's meteoric rise, topping the charts and selling out arenas on the strength of his monster Latin dance hit "Livin' La Vida Loca."

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