Ricardo Arjona Quinto Piso CD

Personnel: Marco Antonio de Santiago (guitarron); Jorge "La Chiquis" Amaro (bajo sexto); Fernando de Santiago (vihuela); Connie Ellisor, Hugo Colula, Arturo González Viveros, Carolyn Bailey, Mary Kathryn Vanosdale, Carl Gorodetzky, Pamela Sixfin, Dave Rivera, Alan Umstead, David Angell, Catherine Umstead (violin); Kristin Wilkinson, Monisa Angell, Jonathan Dinklage (viola); Wolfram Koessel, Anthony LaMarchina, Rodrigo Duarte, Carole Rabinowitz-Neuen (cello); Cecilia Tenconi (flute); Jair Alcalá (accordion); Marcelo Nisinman (bandoneon); Doug Emery, Victor Patron, Matt Rollings (piano); Lee Levin, Armando Montiel (percussion).
Recording information: Antigua Estudios, Mexico; Cabanna St, Ver; Green Parrot Studios; House Of Therm, Los Angeles, CA; Jet Wash Studios; Legacy Studio; My Space Recordings; Picks & Hammers; Sound Emporium, Nashville, TN; The Red Door, Miami, FL; The Tiki Room; Wally World.
Arrangers: Fernando de Santiago; Lee Levin; Ricardo Arjona; Chris McDonald; Tommy Torres.
Singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona has been recognized as one of the more distinctive voice in the Latin pop scene (he won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album in 2006, and 2007's QUIEN DIJO AYER was nominated for a Latin Grammy). QUINTO PISO, released in 2008, demonstrates the continued evolution of Arjona's personal voice. While his arrangements sometimes resemble those of mainstream Latin pop releases, Arjona's themes go well beyond the Latin loverman stereotype to engage social issues and deeply felt personal narratives.
Two decades into his illustrious career, Ricardo Arjona remains at the top of his craft on 5to Piso, his first album of new material since the Grammy-winning Adentro (2005). Arjona was awarded the 2007 Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album and the 2006 Latin Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Album for Adentro. In the midst of the critical acclaim, the Guatemalan singer, songwriter, producer, and arranger released a double-album career retrospective, Quién Dijo Ayer (2007). The first disc of Quién Dijo Ayer features newly recorded versions of career highlights, along with a couple new songs, "Quién" and "Quiero," that were hit singles. The second disc features the original versions of the same career highlights, including "Mujeres," "Historia de Taxi," and "Si el Norte Fuera el Sur." The career retrospective of Quién Dijo Ayer, an album on which Arjona recast the style of his greatest hits, along with the critical aftermath of Adentro, a commercial juggernaut that spawned five hit singles over the course of two years, set the stage for 5to Piso, an eagerly awaited album with a phenomenal lead single, "Cómo Duele." Arjona's biggest hit in years, "Cómo Duele" is one several masterfully crafted songs sequenced at the beginning of 5to Piso. Beginning with the meditative title track, 5to Piso picks up with a couple standouts, "Sin Ti...Sin Mí" and "El del Espejo," before peaking during "Cómo Duele." While the ten songs that follow aren't as striking as the four-song beginning of the album, there are many memorable songs, particularly "Tocando Fondo" and "Nadie Sabe Adonde Va." Some of the more surprising moments found in the latter half of the album, such as the purely orchestral arrangement of "La Bailarina Vecina" and the ranchera duet "Ni Tú Ni Yo," are memorable as well. However, fans of Arjona's straight-ahead rock style are sure to be disappointed with much of 5to Piso, as piano and strings drive much of the music rather than the electric guitar and drums of years past. More typical than exceptional for Arjona at this point in his career, 5to Piso isn't as grand an album as his past few -- not only Adentro and Quién Dijo Ayer, but also the unplugged album Solo (2004), all of which put his career in retrospect. Yet it's a great album all the same, particularly the opening run of songs that culminates with "Cómo Duele," and it finds Arjona still at the top of his craft. ~ Jason BirchmeierBillboard (p.77) - "The set traverses a sea of settings and emotions with elegance and an immediate sense of connection. Arjona is thoughtful in his arrangements..."