''Cuts Both Ways'' is the debut solo album by American recording artist
Gloria Estefan. Though the release marked the first time Estefan was billed solely as a solo artist,
Miami Sound Machine
Miami Sound Machine was an American band of Latin-influenced music that had featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan Jr., the band was originally known as the Miami ...
still performed instrumentation for the album. It has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.
In some Spanish-speaking territories, the album was titled ''Doblemente Herida''.
History
In 1987, after a decade of being the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine, she was credited above the group name (Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine) on their album ''
Let It Loose''. By 1989, Gloria Estefan was one of the most successful female Latin artists in the world. With the release of ''Cuts Both Ways'', Estefan was marketed as a solo artist, but Miami Sound Machine continued to perform as her backing band in the studio and on tour (however, the only original member of MSM to play on the album besides Estefan was her husband/producer, Emilio).
The album reached the top ten on the
US ''Billboard'' 200 chart and peaked at number 1 in the UK and Australia.
The first single from the album was "
Don't Wanna Lose You
"Don't Wanna Lose You" is a song by Cuban-American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan. It was released on June 21, 1989 as the first single by Epic Records from her debut solo album, '' Cuts Both Ways'' (1989). The song is written by Estefa ...
", which became one of Estefan's biggest hits, reaching number 1 on the
US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (her second US number one) and was certified Gold by the
RIAA. It also reached the top ten in the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK. Later releases from ''Cuts Both Ways'' were the commercially successful singles "Here We Are", "Oye mi Canto", and "Get on Your Feet". The title track was released as the final single from the album and was a number one hit on the ''
Billboard''
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart.
Jon Secada
Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fu ...
provided background vocals for the album. Emilio Estefan, Jorge Casas and Clay Ostwald received a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nomination for
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...
for their work in ''Cuts Both Ways''.
Track listing
Singles
Release history
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Personnel
Miami Sound Machine
*Gloria Estefan: lead and backing vocals
*Randy Barlow: trumpet, backing vocals
*Teddy Mulet: trumpet, trombone, backing vocals
*Jorge Casas: bass guitar, acoustic guitar, programming, backing vocals
*Mike Scaglione: saxophone
*Clay Ostwald: synthesizer, piano, programming
*John De Faria: electric guitar, acoustic guitar
*Robert Rodriguez: drums
*Rafael Padilla: percussion
*Horns on "Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice)" and "Oye Mi Canto" (Spanish version) arranged by Teddy Mulet, Gloria Estefan, Jorge Casas and Clay Ostwald
*
Paquito Hechavarría
Paquito Hechavarría (21 February 1939 – 27 September 2012) was a Cuban pianist. Hechavarría built his career in Cuba by playing in some of the most popular orchestras, including Conjunto Casino, Orquesta Riverside and Los Armónicos. However, ...
: piano
*Paco Fonta: acoustic guitar
*
Michael Thompson: electric guitar
*
Emilio Estefan Jr.: congas
*John Slick: additional programming
*
Jon Secada
Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fu ...
,
Betty Wright: backing vocals
Production
*Arranged by Gloria Estefan (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 12), Jorge Casas (all tracks), Clay Ostwald (all tracks), John De Faria (track 8), Scott Shapiro (track 5), John Haag (track 5), Tom McWilliams (track 5) and Efrain Enriquez (track 9)
*Produced by Emilio Estefan, Clay Ostwald and Jorge Casas for Estefan Enterprises, Inc.
*Recorded by Eric Schilling; assisted by John Haag and Ted Stein; additional assistants: Dana Horowitz, Steve Whaley and Roger Hughes
*Mixed by Eric Schilling, except "Don't Wanna Lose You" (mixed by
Humberto Gatica
Humberto Gatica is a Chilean-born American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Celine Dion, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. Gatica's inte ...
; assisted by Greg Laney and Mauricio Guerrero), "Here We Are" and "Cuts Both Ways" (mixed by
Phil Ramone
Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business pa ...
and Eric Schilling; assisted by Carlos Nieto) and "Oye Mi Canto" (additional mixing by John Haag)
*Recorded and mixed by Criteria Studios (
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
)
*Mastered by
Bob Ludwig
Design
* Art direction: Nancy Donald, David Coleman
* Photography: Randee St. Nicholas
* Gloria Estefan's hair and makeup: Eric Bernard
* Band hair and makeup: Samy
* Wardrobe: Vivian Turner
References
{{Authority control
1989 debut albums
Gloria Estefan albums
Albums produced by Emilio Estefan
Epic Records albums