Amar la Trama
Amar la Trama | ||||
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Warner | ||||
Producer | Matías Cella[2] | |||
Jorge Drexler chronology | ||||
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Singles from Amar la Trama | ||||
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Amar la Trama (transl. Loving the Plot) is the ninth
The album received mostly positive reviews; critics commended Drexler's lyrics and his ability to perform live in front of a small audience during the recording sessions. The album entered the top five in Spain. The first single, "
Background
In 2005, Jorge Drexler became the first Uruguayan to win an
Recording
Amar la Trama was recorded from November 1–4, 2009,[10] at Cata Studios in Madrid,[2] in a television studio in front of a small audience who were selected in an online contest.[10] He chose this format to avoid the "coldness" of the recording studio.[1] Drexler was the lead vocalist and played guitar, and was joined by a band composed of additional guitarists, a rhythm section, a horn section, backup vocalists, and auxiliary musicians.[10] All the tracks recorded were written by the singer, with the exception of "I Don't Worry About a Thing", a song by Mose Allison, which featured American pianist Ben Sidran.[1] Leonor Watling performed vocals on the track "Toque de Queda";[1] Josemi Carmona is featured playing Spanish guitar on the song "Las Transeúntes".[6] Drexler said, "In recent years I've realized that I sing better if I have an audience in front of me; I have learned to communicate better that way."[11] The audience consisted of about 20 fans per session. This kept the musicians tense and alert; "the concentration was so great that it was perceived in the air, a silence so intense that you can hear it on the album."[11] All the songs were available on the singer's official website prior to the album's release.[1] The recording sessions were presented in the documentary La Trama Circular, directed by Ariel Hassan and Juan Aragonés.[2] Drexler recorded the album with the working title of Mundo Abisal (Nether World), which refers to the deep sea and the inner world of people. He eventually settled on Amar la Trama (Loving the Plot) because he has a passion for the plot, "the space between the beginning and end, to be completed, in which things happen."[1][8] The album cover is an original work by Manuel Rodríguez Arnabal.[2]
Music and lyrics
On the album, Drexler was lyrically inspired by Madrid, where most of the songs were written.[11] Drexler feels is a very optimistic album, since the title begins with the letter "a", the same as in "affection". The songs feature a completely different sound treatment,[11] a departure from the "light electronica" of previous albums.[10] Amar la Trama is the result of an artistic evolution originated with the recording of Cara B; "with nine musicians playing and recording live on the album, I became interested in making music as in the past."[11] This new concept was explored with a trio of wind instruments and three percussionists, which brings great vitality and achieves bright and expansive sounds.[11] The lyrics are very personal, and choose meaning over sonority. The first track, "Tres Mil Millones de Latidos", is a song about existence that plays with the theme of identity, which is often present in Drexler's lyrics.[11] "Noctiluca" is a gift to his son, since "having a child is the best experience to lose the fear of feelings."[11] The inspiration for this song was a phosphorescent sea, lit by Noctiluca scintillans, that he observed at Cabo Polonio, Uruguay.[11]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
Billboard | positive[12] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
The album received mostly positive reviews. Jason Birchmeier of
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jorge Drexler, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Tres Mil Millones de Latidos" | 3:48 |
2. | "La Trama y el Desenlace" | 4:06 |
3. | "Las Transeúntes" | 5:03 |
4. | "La Nieve en la Bola de Nieve" | 4:53 |
5. | "Mundo Abisal" | 4:08 |
6. | "Toque de Queda" | 3:48 |
7. | "Una Canción Me Trajo Hasta Aquí" | 3:18 |
8. | "Aquiles, por su talón es Aquiles" | 3:35 |
9. | "I Don't Worry About a Thing (written by Mose Allison)" | 4:19 |
10. | "Noctiluca" | 3:27 |
11. | "Todos a Sus Puestos" | 3:03 |
12. | "Telón" | 2:32 |
13. | "Críticas (deluxe edition bonus track)" | 3:04 |
Commercial performance
The album debuted and peaked at number 5 on the Spanish Album Charts on March 21, 2010, the highest debut of the week.[16] Amar la Trama spent an additional week in the top ten and 26 weeks in the top 100.[17]
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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Spanish Albums Chart[17]
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5 |
Charts
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[18] | 5 |
Personnel
- Jorge Drexler – main performer, co-producer, vocals, lyricist, guitar
- Matías Cella – producer, vocals
- Carles Campi Campón – co-producer, autoharp, glockenspiel, omnichord, guitar, vocals
- Roc Albero – flugelhorn
- Borja Barrueta – lap steel guitar, drums, vocals
- Josemi Carmona – Spanish guitar
- Ben Sidran – organ, vocals
- Josema Martín – marimba, vocals
- Sebastián Merlín – marimba, vocals
- Leo Sidran – marimba
- Ángela Cervantes – vocals
- Leonor Watling – vocals
- Xavi Lozano – vocals
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Jorge Drexler lanza su disco Amar la trama este martes". RPP (in Spanish). Grupo RPP S.A. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ Warner. 2010.
- ^ a b "11th Latin Grammy Awards Nominees Announced". Grammy. The Recording Academy. 2010-09-08. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
- ^ Tijana, Ilich. "Top 10 Latin Music Concerts — March 2007". About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
- ^ Dirks, Tim (2004). "2004 Academy Awards Winners and History". Filmsite. American Movie Classics Company. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ a b c d "Jorge Drexler. Amar la trama". Guia Senior (in Spanish). GuiaSenior. 2010-08-31. Archived from the original on 10 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Jorge Drexler lanza su nuevo álbum, 'Cara B'" (in Spanish). Estereofonica. 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ a b "Jorge Drexler adelanta que Mundo abismal será su nuevo disco" (in Spanish). El Universal. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
- ^ Ayala, Ben-Yehuda (2010-09-16). "Shakira: The 'She Wolf' Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Birchmeier, Jason. "Amar la Trama — Jorge Drexler — Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jorge Drexler se lanza a otra experiencia sonora" (in Spanish). El Litoral. 2010-03-18. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ a b Cantor-Navas, Judy (2010-03-19). "Jorge Drexler, "Amar la Trama"". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ a b Vico, Darío (2010-03-01). "Jorge Drexler - 'Amar la trama', (Warner)". Rolling Stone (in Spanish). Prisa. Archived from the original on 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
- ^ "Listado de Finalistas y Ganadores de la XV Edición de los Premios de la Música". Premio de la Música (in Spanish). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ "Amar la Trama (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes (in Spanish). Apple, Inc. 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
- ^ "Album Top 100". Spanish Charts. Hung Medien. 2010-03-21. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ a b "Jorge Drexler — Amar la Trama (album)". Spanish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Jorge Drexler – Amar la Trama". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2023.