Enrique

1999年11月，歌迷期待已久的专辑《ENRIQUE》终于面世，这是Enrique首张英文专辑，同时，他开始着手一系列的演出，来证明他的英文唱片绝不逊色于以前任何一张拉丁语专辑。随“Bailamos”走红后，专辑中另一首单曲“Rhythm Divine”也成功登上各主要媒体的劲爆榜，Enrique别具匠心地把拉丁音乐、地中海韵律以及经典浪漫流行音乐元素巧妙地粘合在一起。当然，Enrique也没忘了在专辑中安排一首向他崇敬的艺人Bruce Springsteen致敬的歌曲“Sad Eyes”。 虽然，《ENRIQUE》早在一年前就开始酝酿，但从创作到录制完成仅用了两个月时间，此专辑分别在洛杉矶、迈阿密、伦敦录音，Mark Taylor、Paul Berry、Pat Leonard、Rick Nols、Lester Mendez等共同参与该专辑的录制工作。Enrique的好友Clive Davis请来了王牌创作人Diane Warren和David Foster创作，还请来了Whitney Houston与Enrique共同演唱“Could I Have This Kiss Forever”。在录制完这张专辑后，Enrique写下了这样一句话：“我在此专辑中真切感受到了自由，这是我首张英语大碟，我无法同我以前的作品相比较，这是我最成功的一次音乐体验。” 12月初，为推动该专辑的宣传，Enrique来到了洛克菲勒中心圣诞树前进行表演，在此后一个月中，Enrique还连续地演出了一系列电视节目及音乐会，其中包括在ABC台“2000年节目”。 by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Enrique Iglesias' Interscope debut Enrique was designed to be a massive crossover success, breaking him to the pop audience that devoured Ricky Martin and "Livin' la Vida Loca." So, the Latin roots were pushed to the background and the record leaned heavily on mainstream dance-pop and adult contemporary ballads. Iglesias and Andres Restrepo served as executive producers, overseeing a number of producers whose work all sounds fairly cohesive. That may be because each specialized in a certain area: dancefloor numbers or slow-burners. It's all impeccably crafted and appealing, the way a big-budget record like this should be. Song wise, there are a couple of stretches that are a little rote but not unappealing, and for the most part, the tunes are endearing; as a matter of fact, the first breakthrough hit, "Bailamos," pales in comparison with much of the first half of the album, including "Rhythm Divine," "I Have Always Loved You," and "Oyeme." If Enrique doesn't pack a knock-out punch, it's because it wasn't structured that way. It was made to be a sturdy and satisfying mainstream crossover effort, and that's exactly what it is.