Sound Loaded

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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 contemporary ballads, and mid-tempo Latin 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.

Background and recordingEdit

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".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Billboard Sound">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="rickybook">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During an interview with the CNN, Martin explained the idea behind the album's title:

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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."<ref name="Billboard Sound"/>

Music and lyricsEdit

{{#invoke:Listen|main}} Sound Loaded is a primarily English language album composed of 15 songs,<ref name="EW">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Apple Music">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> consisting dance club tracks, pop songs, adult contemporary ballads, and mid-tempo Latin numbers.<ref name="PopMatters">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Wall of Sound"/> "She Bangs" is a dance song that features Latin and salsa music influences.<ref name="Billboard Vegas">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="chicagotribunereview">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="billboardreview">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The song's instrumentation features "powerful" percussion, trumpet blasts, and tropical beats.<ref name="billboardreview"/><ref name="latimesreview">Template:Cite news</ref> 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".<ref name="latimesreview"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album also contains a Spanish-language version of "She Bangs", which was recorded under the same title.<ref name="Apple Music"/> "Saint Tropez" has Brazilian influences with a "delectable" 1980's vibe, using a "passionate" trumpet solo.<ref name="Wall of Sound"/><ref name="LA Times">Template:Cite news</ref> "Come to Me" is a pop love song and ballad, featuring elements of flamenco.<ref name="Wall of Sound">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Previews">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Asbury">Template:Cite news</ref> It also has a Spanish version titled "Ven A Mí" (Template:Translation).<ref name="Apple Music"/> On "Loaded", Martin combines 1960's pop and Latin music with "hard rock vocal intonations".<ref name="PopMatters"/> The album also contains a Spanish-language version of the song, titled "Dame Más" (Template:Translation).<ref name="Apple Music"/>

"Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a mid-tempo pop song and power ballad,<ref name="UK release">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Tennessean">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Billboard Xtina Collabs">Template:Cite news</ref> featuring elements of flamenco and Latin music.<ref name="Asbury"/><ref name="UK release"/> The track is a love song about "heartbreak" and "longing", as well as "love, lose, and hope".<ref name="Asbury"/><ref name="Billboard Xtina Collabs"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Amor" (Template:Translation) is a Latin-flavored Spanglish salsa and dance club song,<ref name="AllMusic"/><ref name="RS">Template:Cite magazine</ref> with Cuban influences,<ref name="Wall of Sound"/> that uses "a percussion break, a truncated pop-rock guitar solo, and a lazy, lolling piano".<ref name="PopMatters"/> A salsa track using a "tip-top" piano, "Jezabel" talks about a woman's "ruthless romantic ambitions".<ref name="Previews"/><ref name="Newsday">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "The Touch" is a power ballad,<ref name="EW"/> while the gypsy-tinged "One Night Man" features elements of salsa and Arabic music.<ref name="Wall of Sound"/><ref name="Previews"/><ref name="Newsday"/> 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?".<ref name="Newsday"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "If You Ever Saw Her" is a fusion of pop-soul, glam rock, and urban contemporary music.<ref name="Previews"/><ref name="Asbury"/><ref name="Newsday"/> The last track on the album, "Cambia la Piel" (Template:Translation) is a Spanish song, "marked by bleating horns, jagged electric guitar lines, and staccato counter-rhythms".<ref name="Wall of Sound"/><ref name="AllMusic"/>

SinglesEdit

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.<ref name="regresa">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Billboard 2000 songs">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref>Citations regarding the number-one and top-five peak performances for "She Bangs":

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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.<ref name="Hot 100">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album's final single, "Loaded", was launched on April 17, 2001;<ref name="Loaded ES">Template:Cite news</ref> it became a top-20 hit in Belgium,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Romania,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Spain,<ref name="Loaded ES"/> Sweden,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the United States, it peaked at number 97 on the Hot 100.<ref name="Hot 100"/> "Cambia la Piel" released as the only promotional single from Sound Loaded on October 15, 2001.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Winners-archive">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" video won the award for Outstanding Music Video at the 2002 ALMA Awards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MarketingEdit

ReleaseEdit

Sound Loaded was released by Columbia Records on November 14, 2000.<ref name="CNN"/> 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.<ref name="US CD">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> The Latin American edition of Sound Loaded includes "Sólo Quiero Amarte", while "Are You In It For Love" is not featured.<ref name="Argentina CD">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> 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.<ref name="Newman 12"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In all regions, the re-issue used the same track list as the original and the duet was added as the second disc.<ref name="US CD2">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref><ref name="Asia CD">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref><ref name="Europe CD">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Live performancesEdit

To further promote Sound Loaded, Martin embarked on a North American promotional tour. The tour began on November 13, 2000, at the Irving Plaza in New York City, and concluded on February 26, 2001, at the Guvernment in Toronto, with five concerts throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.<ref name="rickybook"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition to his tour, Martin performed singles from Sound Loaded on many television programs and award shows. He performed "She Bangs" at the 2000 Billboard Music Awards,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the 43rd Annual TV Week Logie Awards,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Today Show,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Saturday Night Live,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Al Fin de Semana, and Otro Rollo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The singer performed "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" at the 28th Annual American Music Awards on January 8, 2001.<ref name="Tennessean"/> Later that year, he and Aguilera gave live performances of their collaboration on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the ITV's CD:UK,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the 13th Annual World Music Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the same year, Martin also performed "Cambia la Piel" at the Premios de la Música and "Loaded" at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> To promote the album's material in the United Kingdom, he delivered performances of "She Bangs", "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" (with Aguilera), and "Loaded" on the BBC's Top of the Pops in November 2000, January 2001, and July 2001, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In July 2001, Martin performed "She Bangs" and "Loaded" at the Allsång på Skansen, becoming the first "world-famous pop artist" ever to perform at the show, while breaking the record of its highest-attendance show with drawing an audience of 15,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Critical receptionEdit

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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.<ref name="metacritic"/> 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".<ref name="Wall of Sound"/> Writing for Rolling Stone, Arion Berger called the album "relentlessly likable and danceable", while introducing "Loaded" as the best track.<ref name="RS"/> 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".<ref name="Previews"/>

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".<ref name="PopMatters"/> 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.<ref name="AllMusic"/>

AccoladesEdit

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album was also among the winning albums as the ten best-selling foreign releases at the 2001 Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Commercial performanceEdit

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.<ref name="Billboard Sound"/><ref name="Billboard 200"/> It also debuted at number four on BillboardTemplate:'s Top Internet Album Sales chart in the same week.<ref name="Top Internet Album Sales">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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.<ref name="RIAA"/> 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).<ref name="Nielsen Sales">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Sound Loaded debuted at number three in Australia, on the chart issue dated November 19, 2000.<ref name="aus"/> It was later certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of over 140,000 copies in the country.<ref name="Australia Certification"/> In Canada, it peaked at number three on the BillboardTemplate:'s Canadian Albums Chart and was certified triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), denoting shipments of over 300,000 units in the region.<ref name="can"/><ref name="cert canada"/> The album also reached number three in Spain,<ref name="spa"/> where it was certified double platinum by the Productores de Música de España (Promusicae), denoting shipments of over 200,000 copies.<ref name="spain ce"/> Additionally, Sound Loaded reached the top-10 in Argentina,<ref name="arg"/> Italy,<ref name="ita"/> Japan,<ref name="jap"/> New Zealand,<ref name="nz"/> Sweden,<ref name="swe"/> and Switzerland.<ref name="swi"/> 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.<ref name="UK Certification"/> As of November 2006, the album has sold over seven million copies worldwide.<ref name="worldwidesales">Template:Cite news</ref>

Track listingEdit

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PersonnelEdit

Credits for Sound Loaded adapted from AllMusic and the album liner notes.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref><ref name="allmusiccredits">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Recording and mixing locationsEdit

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Musicians and technicalEdit

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ChartsEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

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Weekly chart performance for Sound Loaded
Chart (2000–2001) Peak
position
Argentine Albums (CAPIF)<ref name="arg">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 10
European Albums (Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 12
Greek Foreign Albums (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 1
Japanese Albums (Billboard Japan)<ref name="jap">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 10
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

11
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)<ref name="spa">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 3
US Top Internet Album Sales (Billboard)<ref name="Top Internet Album Sales"/> 4

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Year-end chartsEdit

2000 year-end chart performance for Sound Loaded
Chart (2000) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

26
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

64
Finnish Foreign Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

106
South Korean International Albums (MIAK)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

71
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

83
2001 year-end chart performance for Sound Loaded
Chart (2001) Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

186
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

100
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

134
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 48

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Certifications and salesEdit

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Release historyEdit

Release dates and formats for Sound Loaded
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Template:Abbr
Taiwan November 3, 2000 CD Columbia Records <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Japan November 8, 2000 Epic Records <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Europe November 14, 2000 Columbia Records <ref name="swe"/>
Hong Kong <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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