Carlos Vives El Amor De Mi Tierra CD

EL AMOR DE MI TIERRA was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Performance.

EL AMOR DE MI TIERRA won the 2001 Billboard Latin Music Award for Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year.

What do you get when a telenovela (Latino soap opera) star blends old-school vallenato and other traditional Colombian music with a little pop and some edgy rock & roll? A vibrant, earthy music that makes the heart warm with gladness and the impossibility of remaining seated. Sung like little narratives, these are image-rich songs of love, passion, celebration, and a staying affection for one's land of origin.

The title track praises the natural beauties of Vives' rural home to the welcome sounds of his usual accordion player, Egidio Cuadrado. "Fruta Fresca" recalls the urgent passion of his radio hit "Rosa," with fierce, fluid guitar work contrasted with Mayte Montero's airy fluting. Echoing "La Tierra Del Olvido," "La Mona" is an easy favorite. The track is full of sun and sand, with an Afro-Colombian-style chorus and percussion and Vives sounding eager to extol. Whereas many of his peers trumpet a brand of romanticism that's gaudy and overblown, Vives is rustic and sweet. And like many pop or rock recordings, this music must be played loud to truly reveal its molten core.

Recorded at Crescent Moon Studio, Miami, Florida.

Engineers include: Freddy Pinero, Jr., Carlos Nieto, Scott Canto.

Personnel: Luis Angel (guitar); Mayte Montero (gaita, maracas); Egidio Cuadrado (accordion); Shango Dely (congas); Eder Polo (guacharaca); Archie Pena (percussion); Juan Vincente Zambrano (programming).

Audio Mixers: Javier Garza; Sebastián Krys; Cesar Sogbe.

Recording information: Crescent Moon Studio, Miami FL.

Arranger: Juan Vincente Zambrano.

Personnel: Carlos Vives (vocals, guitar); Einar Escaf (vocals, drums, tambora); Andres Castro (guitar, background vocals); Mayte Montero (flute, maracas); Egidio Cuadrado (accordion, background vocals); Juan Vicente Zambrano (keyboards, programming); Carlos Ivan Medina (keyboards, background vocals); Luis Angel "El Papa" Pastor (bass); Pablo Bernal (drums); Archie Pena (congas, tambora venezolana, cajon peruano, capachos, redoblante, percussion); Shango Dely (congas); Alfredo Rosado (caja Vallenata); Eder Polo (guacharaca); Ramon Benitez (bombardino) Cheito Quinonez (background vocals).

Producers: Emilio Estefan Jr., Juan Vicente Zambrano.