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Frenesí (1992)

Where the lyrics of Frenesí take you, and where it was really made.

The album grew out of two songs Linda Ronstadt recorded for the film The Mambo Kings, which led her to make a full album of mambo and bolero standards.

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Album story

Overview

• Frenesí (transl. Frenzy): studio album by American singer Linda Ronstadt
• Released August 25, 1992 by Elektra and Rhino Records
• Mambo and bolero album covering Latin standards
• Arrangements by Ray Santos
• Productions handled by Peter Asher and George Massenburg
• Four promotional singles: the title track, "Entre Abismos", "Piensa en Mí", "Piel Canela"

Background

• In August 1991, Ronstadt revealed she had recorded two songs for the film The Mambo Kings (1992): "Quiéreme Mucho" and "Perfidia"
• Those recordings influenced her to record an album of mambo standards
• Ronstadt re-recorded "Quiéreme Mucho" and "Perfidia" for the album
• Title announced June 1992; her third Spanish-language album after Canciones de Mi Padre (1987) and Mas Canciones (1991)
• Santos had arranged most of the tracks on The Mambo Kings soundtrack

Recording

• Ray Santos Orchestra performed, with a vocal trio and a chorus
• Massenburg produced tracks 1–10 and 13; Peter Asher produced tracks 11 and 12
• Mastering by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California
• Skywalker Symphony played on tracks 1–10 and 13; a string section played on tracks 11 and 12

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born July 15, 1946 in Tucson, Arizona; American singer across rock, folk, pop, country, and soul.
• In the mid-1960s joined the folk-rock trio the Stone Poneys as lead singer, releasing three albums in 1967–68.
• Solo debut Hand Sown ... Home Grown (1969), described as the first alternative country record by a female recording artist.
• Became the first female "arena class" rock star; top-grossing concert artist of the decade.
• Voted Top Female Pop Singer of the 1970s; "You're No Good" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Worked with producer Nelson Riddle on the Great American Songbook trilogy What's New, Lush Life, and For Sentimental Reasons.
• Recorded Canciones de Mi Padre (1987), the best-selling non-English-language album in US music history.
• Retired in 2011 after losing the ability to sing; later diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014; Kennedy Center Honoree in 2019.

Formation

• At age 14 formed a folk trio with her brother Peter and sister Gretchen.
• Moved to Los Angeles in 1964 to form a band with Bobby Kimmel.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Reception was mixed: Santos's arrangements were mostly praised, while critics were divided on Ronstadt's delivery
• AllMusic editor Roch Parisien was critical and said little on the album sounds street level or rootsy
• Billboard reviewer Paul Verna felt the arrangements and vocals kept the record from soaring on up-tempo numbers, but praised the boleros
• Greg Sandow graded the record a C; he found the orchestra touching and addictive but was not impressed by Ronstadt's loud singing
• Cliff Radel of The Cincinnati Enquirer praised Ronstadt for singing in Spanish
• Judy Wolf of The Indianapolis Star lauded Ronstadt's voice and said the string sections suited her power
• Enrique Blanc said Ronstadt stayed faithful to the sound of the 1930s to 1950s but did not go beyond nostalgia
• Larry Kelp of the Oakland Tribune called the arrangements gorgeous but noted rarely much emotional depth in her delivery
• George Varga of The San Diego Union-Tribune was more critical, finding the orchestra too innocuous and Ronstadt's renditions trite

Records

• Won the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993
• Billboard 200 peak: number 193 in the United States
• Tropical Albums chart peak: number two in the United States
• Fifth best-selling tropical album of 1993 in the United States
• Netherlands chart peak: number 79

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• A US tour to promote the album was planned but cancelled after Hurricane Andrew struck Florida
• The title Frenesí is translated as Frenzy in the source
• The album is Ronstadt's third Spanish-language album after Canciones de Mi Padre and Mas Canciones
• Two songs recorded for The Mambo Kings film, "Quiéreme Mucho" and "Perfidia", were re-recorded for this album
• The title track and "Entre Abismos" were promoted as US singles, while "Piel Canela" and "Piensa en Mi" were promoted in Europe

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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