Ricky Martin - review

Mention Ricky Martin in a mental association test and the word “cheesy” would have a very a very strong chance of following. For years we’ve been treated to various permutations of Latin-American pop from the swivel-hipped, Latino equivalent of Darius Danesh. Having lived ‘La Vida Loca’, we had reached a point where we no longer cared if Ricky were shaking his bon-bons or not.

If you were expecting more of the same from his new album, Life, you’ll be pleasantly surprised as Ricky has delivered arguably the best album of his career. Evolving from his niche, this album flirts with Middle Eastern sounds, hip-hop as well as pure pop. Apparently this type of fusion is common in the music genre the kids are calling ‘reggaeton’, a style of Spanish language dance music emerging from Puerto Rica in the late nineties.

Dramatic synth strings and mysterious percussion sounds create an atmospheric start to the album’s opener, ‘Till I Get To You’. There is a hint of Eastern mysticism provided by instruments such as the sitar and the oud – though given Ricky’s sexy new hard look on the cover, one wonders if he is trying too hard to be a boy in the oud.

In his best Bono voice, he confusingly vows to “swim the mountains” and to “climb the seas” – he’s going to “change in a new direction / Make a move with a new intention”. Bon-bon shaking is off the menu then.

‘I Won’t Desert You’ is a lively piece of funk with Ricky duetting at a mystery lady as the insistent synth backing keeps the whole shebang contemporary.

The single, ‘I Don’t Care’, is a sophisticated dance track that seems to have borrowed major sections from Kylie’s ‘Confide In Me’ without anyone noticing. The super slickness comes from stunning production that would do Pussy Cat Dolls proud. There might be Latin rhythms here but they are deftly merged with an urban dance sensibility.

‘Stop Time Tonight’ calms things down: a soft rock ballad from the Diane Warren school of heartfelt angst song writing that would rival the best of Bon Jovi or Aerosmith in full movie-moment mode. What is good about this track is that it reminds you that Mr Martin can really sing; he has a beautifully warm timbre to his voice.

He’s back to the dancefloor with a hard club-edged dance track called ‘I Am’, the kind of song that Britney Spears would be doing if she were Spanish. Similarly, ‘Drop It On Me’, is percussion-led and pilfers Ricky’s Puerto Rican roots to add flavour to the pop / rap style. Daddy Yankee, another reggaeton rapper, and Black Eyed Peas production credits ensure urban credibility.

‘This Is Good’ is a multi-layered, hands in the air celebration brimming with positivity, set against a salsa rhythm, but with a foot in both the r’n’b and hip hop camps.

Topping off the main section of the album, Ricky delivers a swoonsom ballad, ‘Save The Dance’ which shows Enrique’s worldwide smash ‘Hero’ hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Martin camp. Here is a sophisticated but ultra-smooth song that will fire a shot across the bows of the upstarts who have laid claim to Ricky’s crown.

A couple of bonus tracks, a Spanish-language reworking of ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘It’s Alright’, top the album off in fine style and prove there is still plenty of life yet for Ricky Martin.

Originally published 31st October 2005

The album didn't sell very well so barely two months later, we had the completely unrelated event of Ricky frolicking on the beach with his friend...half-brother...chum....