Déjame Entrar (album)

Déjame Entrar
Studio album by Carlos Vives
Released	October 9, 2001
Genre	Vallenato, Cumbia, Porro, Pop Latino
Label	Philips
Carlos Vives chronology
El Amor de Mi Tierra (1999) Déjame Entrar (2001) El Rock de Mi Pueblo (2004)

Déjame Entrar is the fifth major-label album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.

Released on October 9, 2001 it is Vives's tenth album overall (when counting earlier releases). Following the same formula that made El Amor de Mi Tierra a success, Vives and producer Emilio Estefan, Jr. returned with a new batch of songs, resulting in back-to-back #1 Billboard hits ("Déjame Entrar" & "Luna Nueva"), as well Grammy Award wins for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album and Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Tropical Album.

Overview

The couple of years proceeding Déjame Entrar’s release were some of the biggest in Carlos Vives’s career. After the disappointing reaction to his Tengo Fe album put his career in jeopardy, Vives bounced back with superproducer Emilio Estefan, Jr. to create what would become his successful album, El Amor de Mi Tierra. Vives would also receive his first spot on the top of the Latin Billboard charts with Fruta Fresca, as well as Grammy and Billboard Music Award nominations for his album work. Realizing one shouldn’t gamble with success, Vives and Estefan, along with Martín Madera, and guitarist Andrés Castro, collaborated on yet another album of infectious hits, serving as a companion to El Amor de Mi Tierra in style and sound.

Appearing in stores almost two years from El Amor de Mi Tierra’s release, Déjame Entrar (Let Me In) entered record stores and quickly gained momentum as another hot seller from Vives. Helping in the album’s boost was the crossover of Latin American music to the American mainstream. Established Latin artists such as Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin found success with English language albums, prompting many Latin artists to receive attention from record buyers outside of their own domestic market. Two other artists would prove to be some of Latin music’s biggest success stories, Colombian artists Shakira and Juanes. By the time Déjame Entrar appeared, it had become evident the positive effect Carlos’s success had had on fellow Colombian artists, as well as his own career.

The album opener and title track was released to radio and became another hit for Vives. It quickly reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, his second single to do so. The song itself is reminiscent of his past hits "El Amor de Mi Tierra" and "Tu Amor Eterno", with an acoustic guitar intro, followed by right hand man Egidio Cuadrado’s accordion, then the entire La Provincia chiming in. Aside from the formula that Vives follows in this particular hit, the song itself closes the album in reprise form, labeled as a “Bonus Track.” The ending version of Déjame Entrar is a different variation from the track opener; a much faster pace version similar to "Fruta Fresca" and "Pa Mayté".

The second track “Carito” picks up the pace, in Carlos’s most humorous song. Co-penned by Cuadrado, the track tells the story of Vives’s attraction to an English teacher, who because of the language barrier, struggles to express his desires. The middle of the song also contains Vives’s attempt at singing in English, which further emphasizes the song's comedic nature. The song, along with other tracks as “A Las Doce Menos Diez” (Ten Til’ Twelve) and “Decimas” (Tenths), are pure dance vallenato, with the later of Vives’s fascination with New Orleans and how it reminds him of Colombia’s city, Barranquilla.

“Luna Nueva”, became Vives’s third #1 on the Latin charts, giving this album the distinction as his first with back-to-back chart toppers. The song itself is a funkdafied-dance number, with La Provincia’s signature wah-wah guitars and woodwinds that accent the song throughout. Other hits include “Papadió” (God the Father), a spiritual song that is equally powerful in its uplifting message. Vives sings "Quien me da la luna? La buena fortuna? (Who gives me the moon? Who gives my good fortune?), as the rest of La Provincia answers "Papadio!" after each line. The song scrapped the bottom of the Latin Billboard Top 40, yet it is considered by many Vives fans as an album highlight.

With the similar formula that made El Amor de Mi Tierra a success, Déjame Entrar proved to be equally successful, commercially and critically. After a total of six previous Grammy nominations, Vives came out victorious with the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album. Only months later, during the broadcast of the third annual Latin Grammys, Vives would win his second award for Best Contemporary Tropical Album. With double Grammy success, and double chart topping hits, Déjame Entrar would prove another fan favorite in the Colombian singer's popular career.

Track listing

1. "Déjame Entrar" (Andres Castro, Carlos Vives, Martin Madera) – 4:00
2. "Carito" (Vives, Egidio Cuadrado) – 3:38
3. "Amor Latino" (Vives, Madera) – 4:09
4. "Luna Nueva" (Vives, Madera) – 3:36
5. "Papadió" (Castro, C. Medina, Vives) – 3:27
6. "Quiero Verte Sonreir" (Castro, Vives, Carlos Huertas) – 3:18
7. "Las Doce Menos Diez" (Vives) – 4:01
8. "María Teresa" (Castro, E. Estefan, Vives) – 3:36
9. "Décimas" (Vives, Madera) – 3:33
10. "Santa Elegia" (Vives) – 3:52
11. "Déjame Entrar (Bonus Track)" (Castro, Vives, Madera) – 3:54

Personnel

• Carlos Vives - vocals, choir
• Archie Pena - percussion, conga, drums
• Sebastian Krys - choir
• Mayte Montero - maraca, bagpipes
• Ramon Benitez - bombard
• Egidio Cuadrado - accordion, choir
• Andrés Castro - acousticgGuitar, electric guitar, charango, choir
• Carlos Huertas - choir
• Pablo Bernal - drums
• Tedoy Mullet - trombone, trumpet
• Carlos Ivan Medina - choir
• Luis Angel - double bass, six-string bass
• Paquito Hechavarria - piano
• Martin Madera - choir

Technical Personnel

• Carlos Vives - arranger, producer
• Scott Canto - engineer
• Mike Couzzi - engineer
• Bob Ludwig - mastering
• Sebastian Krys - arranger, producer, engineer
• Kevin Dillon - logistics
• Mayte Montero - arranger
• Lucho Correa - graphic design
• Egidio Cuadrado - arranger
• Andrés Castro - arranger, producer
• David Heuer - engineer
• Javier Garza - engineer
• Steve Menezes - studio coordinator
• Jose A. Maldonado - logistics
• Trevor Fletcher - studio coordinator
• Luis Angel - arranger
• Emilio Estefan Jr. - producer
• Eric Schilling - engineer
• John Thomas II - engineer
• Ron Taylor - engineer

Sales and certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[1]	2× Platinum (Latin)	200,000^
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Preceded by Te Voy a Enamorar by Los Angeles de Charly	U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums number-one album November 31, 2001	Succeeded by Libre by Marc Anthony
Preceded by 8 by Gisselle	U.S. Billboard Tropical Albums number-one album November 24, 2001 - December 1, 2001	Succeeded by Libre by Marc Anthony

References

1. ^ "American album certifications – Carlos Vives – Dejame Entrar". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Dejame+Entrar%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click Type, then select Latin, then click SEARCH

External links

For soundbites and further information, go to http://www.carlosvives.com