This is the story of one spicy-looking Latin American hunk whose real name is Enrique Morales. An ex-member of the Puerto Rican
boy band Menudo, Ricky found Stateside fame as a Broadway actor in "Les Miserables," and a TV soap star in ABC's "General Hospital."
His popularity was to be the platform for him to generate a solo career as a contemporary Latin singer who modernized the rhythmic heritage of Latin pop -- salsa, rhumba, cumbia -- with rock and dance stylings. Four albums and 15 million records later, his latest full-length Latin recording
"Vuelve" won the 1999 Grammy for "Best Latin Pop Performance." The 6 million-selling album includes the official song of the France '98 World Cup -- "La Copa De La
Vida," also known as "The Cup Of Life," which hit No. 1 in more than 30 countries. Martin's self-titled first English-language album entered the Billboard
Top 200 album chart at No. 1. Produced by longtime collaborators Robi Rosa and Desmond Child, the album took two years to make. The single "Livin' La Vida Loca"
is a pulsating monster of a track that comes with a booming bass line, sexy-smart lyrics, raw vocals, and an extremely raunchy video that celebrates life. Elsewhere on the album, this
recent cover star of Time magazine shows his softer side in "Private Emotion," a sensuous duet with the Swedish songstress and label-mate Meja, and the imploring "I Am Made Of
You," Ricky's personal favorite. "The Cup Of Life" is included in the Spanglish Radio Edit form, as is the booty-wigglin' Latino-funk-rock concoction "Shake Your
Bon-Bon." But the most hyped-about track from the album must be "Be Careful," a techno-acoustic duet with Madonna, produced by William Orbit, that blends the disparate
worlds of Latin music and modern electronica. |
