Sound Loaded is the sixth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on November 14, 2000, by Columbia Records. Following the huge success of his first English album, Ricky Martin (1999), Martin returned to the studio to record its follow-up English album. He worked with producers Walter Afanasieff, Emilio Estefan, Draco Rosa, and Desmond Child to create the album. Musically, Sound Loaded consists of dance club tracks, pop songs, adult contemporaryballads, and mid-tempoLatin numbers. After the album's release, Martin embarked on a North American promotional tour.
The album was supported by three singles. The lead single "She Bangs" topped the charts in seven countries and reached the top five in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The second single "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was re-recorded along with American singer Christina Aguilera and became a number one and top five hit around the world. "Loaded" was released as the album's final single and experienced moderate commercial success. Sound Loaded received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented its dance tracks. The album was a commercial success. It debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 318,000 copies. It also reached the top-five in Australia, Canada, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. It has received several certifications, including triple platinum in Canada and double platinum in the United States, and has sold over seven million copies worldwide.
Ricky Martin released his fifth studio album and English-language debut, Ricky Martin in 1999, which became his biggest commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and selling over 15 million copies worldwide. To further promote the album, he embarked on the worldwide Livin' la Vida Loca Tour. While the Livin' la Vida Loca Tour had not been concluded yet, Columbia Records asked Martin to return to the studio to record his sixth studio album. He later wrote about the request in Me, his official autobiography: "Now, when I think about it, I realize I should have said no. Definitely no! It was too soon and I was not ready to fully immerse myself in the intense creative work needed to record a new album." He reflected on it as "one of the worst decisions" of his life and "a very serious mistake".[1][2][3] In October 2000, Rolling Stone revealed the album's title as Sound Loaded, mentioning that it is an English album set for release on November 14, 2000.[4] During an interview with the CNN, Martin explained the idea behind the album's title:
When I gave my album a name - when I started talking to people about Sound Loaded - they said, "Is it about computers?" It is about listening to all those different sounds and having the opportunity to exchange ideas with, you know, people from different parts of the world, and just making all these different sounds part of my sound. It's all about educating. It's all about letting people know it doesn't matter what part of the world you are from. It's about feeling good with yourself. It's about trusting your emotions and your instincts - things that I talk about in my album.[5]
The singer worked on the album with several producers and songwriters, including Walter Afanasieff, Emilio Estefan, Draco Rosa, and Desmond Child, and recorded it in Miami. During an interview with Billboard Martin explained: "It might sound clichéd, but it was my dream team. It was a situation devoid of egos. It was all about creativity. Everyone was open to working toward the same goal, which was to make the best possible record."[2]
Sound Loaded is a primarily English language album composed of 15 songs,[6][7] consisting dance club tracks, pop songs, adult contemporaryballads, and mid-tempoLatin numbers.[8][9] "She Bangs" is a dance song that features Latin and salsa music influences.[10][11][12] The song's instrumentation features "powerful" percussion, trumpet blasts, and tropical beats.[12][13] Lyrically, it tells a "tale of a wild woman who may be hard to let go and even harder to hold", which is "a metaphor for the universe".[13][14] The album also contains a Spanish-language version of "She Bangs", which was recorded under the same title.[7] "Saint Tropez" has Brazilian influences with a "delectable" 1980's vibe, using a "passionate" trumpet solo.[9][15] "Come to Me" is a pop love song and ballad, featuring elements of flamenco.[9][16][17] It also has a Spanish version titled『Ven A Mí』(transl. "Come to Me").[7] On "Loaded", Martin combines 1960's pop and Latin music with "hard rock vocal intonations".[8] The album also contains a Spanish-language version of the song, titled『Dame Más』(transl. "Give Me More").[7]
"Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a mid-tempo pop song and power ballad,[18][19][20] featuring elements of flamenco and Latin music.[17][18] The track is a love song about "heartbreak" and "longing", as well as "love, lose, and hope".[17][20][21] "Amor" (transl. "Love") is a Latin-flavored Spanglish salsa and dance club song,[22][23] with Cuban influences,[9] that uses "a percussion break, a truncated pop-rock guitar solo, and a lazy, lolling piano".[8] A salsa track using a "tip-top" piano, "Jezabel" talks about a woman's "ruthless romantic ambitions".[16][24][25] "The Touch" is a power ballad,[6] while the gypsy-tinged "One Night Man" features elements of salsa and Arabic music.[9][16][24] In the energetic "Are You In It for Love", the singer suspects that his lover is "in it for kicks, private jets and Armani / And when the ride's over, will you even bother to call me?".[24][26] "If You Ever Saw Her" is a fusion of pop-soul, glam rock, and urban contemporary music.[16][17][24] The last track on the album, "Cambia la Piel" (transl. "Change the Skin") is a Spanish song, "marked by bleating horns, jagged electric guitar lines, and staccato counter-rhythms".[9][22]
Columbia Records released "She Bangs" to radio stations in several countries on September 22, 2000, as the lead single from the album. Thereafter, the song was released to the singles markets in October.[27][28] The track was commercially successful, reaching number one in Argentina, Chile, Hong Kong, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, and Uruguay, as well as the top five in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries.[29] It was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards.[30] The Spanish-language version of "She Bangs" reached the summit of the BillboardHot Latin Tracks chart.[31] "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was re-recorded along with American singer Christina Aguilera in December 2000.[32][33][34] The duet was released to radio stations in the United States, on January 16, 2001, as the second single from the album.[35] The single peaked at number one in Hungary, New Zealand, Romania, Poland, and Croatia, as well as the top five in Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, among others.[36] It was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.[30] A Spanish-language solo version of the song, entitled『Sólo Quiero Amarte』(transl. "I Only Want to Love You"), was recorded by Martin and topped the Hot Latin Tracks chart.[37]
Both "She Bangs" and "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" reached the top-15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been certified silver in the UK.[38][39][40] The album's final single, "Loaded", was launched on April 17, 2001;[41] it became a top-20 hit in Belgium,[42] Romania,[43] Spain,[41] Sweden,[44] and the United Kingdom.[45] In the United States, it peaked at number 97 on the Hot 100.[38] "Cambia la Piel" released as the only promotional single from Sound Loaded on October 15, 2001.[46][47]Music videos were filmed for both English and Spanish versions of "She Bangs", "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely", "Sólo Quiero Amarte", "Loaded", and "Dame Más".[48] The Spanish-language visual for "She Bangs" won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, Video of the Year at the 13th Lo Nuestro Awards, and the Best Clip of the Year — Latin at the Billboard Music Video Awards.[49][50][51] "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" video won the award for Outstanding Music Video at the 2002 ALMA Awards.[52]
Sound Loaded was released by Columbia Records on November 14, 2000.[5] The American edition contains a Spanglish radio edit for "She Bangs", titled "She Bangs (Obadam's Spanglish Radio Edit)" in addition to the standard track list.[53] The Latin American edition of Sound Loaded includes "Sólo Quiero Amarte", while "Are You In It For Love" is not featured.[54] Since Martin re-recorded "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" with Aguilera after the album's original release, the duet was added to the album's track list later. The collaboration was not released in a major commercially available single format in the United States, and consumers could purchase the song only with buying the album. Those who had already bought the album could download it from Martin's website for free or mail a sticker from their copy of the album, receiving a free CD with the new version.[34][55][56] In all regions, the re-issue used the same track list as the original and the duet was added as the second disc.[57][58][59]
Sound Loaded received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64 based on 6 reviews.[77] Gary Graff from Wall of Sound gave it a positive review, saying it "is indeed loaded with sound, from lush love ballads to full-on polyrhythmic explosions made explicitly for bon-bon shaking" and all 15 tracks "sound as polished and lively as they do". He highlighted "Cambia la Piel" as the album's "most interesting track", describing it as "an edgy gem marked by bleating horns, jagged electric guitar lines, and staccato counter-rhythms".[9] Writing for Rolling Stone, Arion Berger called the album "relentlessly likable and danceable", while introducing "Loaded" as the best track.[23] An author of Billboard noted "a smattering of well-crafted material" in the album on which Martin is "allowed to truly strut his vocal stuff", highlighting "The Touch" and "Come To Me" as "lovely ballads". The critic thought that unlike Ricky Martin, there is "less of an attempt to fall in line with trends" and Martin trusted "listeners to subscribe to more traditional pop sounds", which resulted in "a more consistent recording". They also praised Martin's "special attention to his Latin roots by including a handful of solid Spanish-language tunes" that made the set "an album that offers a little something for everyone".[16]
Charlotte Robinson from PopMatters mentioned "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" and "The Touch" as the "lowlights" of Sound Loaded and labeled them "crummy ballads", while praising dance numbers such as "She Bangs" and "Loaded", as well as mid-tempo tracks. She highlighted "Amor" as one of the best mid-tempo songs in the collection and described "Cambia la Piel" as fabulous, adding the fact that the latter "prove once again that Martin is the only one of the stars of the 'Latin explosion' who actually makes Latin-sounding music on a regular basis".[8] Similarly, AllMusic's Jose F. Promis called the album "a lushly produced set", praising its Latin-flavored dance tracks, including "Amor", "Jezabel", "Cambia La Piel", and "If You Ever Saw Her", describing the last one as endearing. He also stated that "She Bangs" is arguably one of best songs of the 2000s. Nevertheless, he thought that the ballads "tend to weigh the album down", introducing "Come to Me" and "The Touch" as "unmemorable" tracks.[22]
At the 7th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Sound Loaded was nominated for Favorite Male Artist of the Year and Favorite Artist — Latino, but lost them to Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and Christina Aguilera's Mi Reflejo (2000), respectively. Subsequently, it won the award for Favorite Male Artist — Pop at the ceremony.[81][82] The album was also among the winning albums as the ten best-selling foreign releases at the 2001 Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards.[83]
Sound Loaded debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 318,000 copies, according to data compiled by Nielsen SoundScan for the chart dated December 2, 2000, becoming Martin's second top-five album on the list.[2][84] It also debuted at number four on Billboard'sTop Internet Album Sales chart in the same week.[85] Although the album was released in November, it was ranked among the best-selling albums of 2000 in the United States, selling over 1.1 million copies in the country.[86] In December 2000, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over two million copies in the US.[87] As of January 2011, it has sold over 1,679,000 copies in the country, according to Nielsen SoundScan, making it Martin's second best-selling album in the US, only behind Ricky Martin (1999).[88]
Sound Loaded debuted at number three in Australia, on the chart issue dated November 19, 2000.[89] It was later certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of over 140,000 copies in the country.[90] In Canada, it peaked at number three on the Billboard'sCanadian Albums Chart and was certified triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), denoting shipments of over 300,000 units in the region.[91][92] The album also reached number three in Spain,[93] where it was certified double platinum by the Productores de Música de España (Promusicae), denoting shipments of over 200,000 copies.[94] Additionally, Sound Loaded reached the top-10 in Argentina,[95] Italy,[96] Japan,[97] New Zealand,[98] Sweden,[99] and Switzerland.[100] In the United Kingdom, the album was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments of over 300,000 copies in the country.[101] As of November 2006, the album has sold over seven million copies worldwide.[102]
^Cambia la Piel (Spanish promotional CD Single liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2001. 10328.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abSound Loaded (US Album liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2000. 85220.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abSound Loaded (Argentine Album liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2000. 2-497769.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Pietroluongo, Silvio (2001). "Hot 100 Sptlight". Billboard. Vol. 103. Nielsen Business Media. p. 97. ISSN0006-2510. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
^Sound Loaded (US Album liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2001. 497769.9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abSound Loaded (Asian Album liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2001. CK 61394.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abSound Loaded (European Album liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2001. COL 497769 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Newsmakers". The Courier. February 14, 2001. p. 22. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Music on TV". The Guardian. May 4, 2001. p. 66. ISSN0261-3077. CD:UK - ITV, 11.30am (30476) - Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera perform their new single, Nobody Wants to Be Lonely [...]
^Sound Loaded (European Album liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2000. 497769 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Sound Loaded (US Album liner notes). Ricky Martin. Columbia Records. 2000. CK 61394.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"No concert for now". Streats. April 21, 2000. p. 20. Retrieved February 13, 2022. His most recent album, Sound Loaded, has already gone double platinum (more than 30,000 copies sold) in Singapore
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