Amar la Trama
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''Amar la Trama'' (''Loving the Plot'') is the ninth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
an recording artist
Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for compos ...
. It was released by
Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
on March 16, 2010, after a four-year gap since the release of his last album of original music. Drexler worked as co-producer, along with Matías Cella and Carles Campi Campón. The themes of the songs are his personal feelings inspired by journeys to Uruguay and Spain, his global wanderings, and the universal wonder of everyday moments. The album received mostly positive reviews; critics commended Drexler's lyrics and his ability to perform live in front of a small audience during the recording sessions. The album entered the top five in Spain. The first single, "
Una Canción Me Trajo Hasta Aquí "Una Canción Me Trajo Hasta Aquí" ("A Song Brought Me Here") is a song written and performed by Uruguayan recording artist Jorge Drexler. It was released in February 2010 by Warner Music as the first single from his album '' Amar la Trama''. The ...
", also received praise. ''La Trama Circular'', a
DVD documentary A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
about the recording sessions, is included on the standard edition of the album. On September 8, 2010, ''Amar la Trama'' received four nominations for the 11th Latin Grammy Awards.


Background

In 2005, Jorge Drexler became the first Uruguayan to win an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for
Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, for his composition "
Al Otro lado del Río "Al otro lado del río" () is a song, written and performed by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler for the film '' The Motorcycle Diaries'' (2004).
" from the film '' The Motorcycle Diaries''. The following year, Drexler recorded and released ''12 Segundos de Oscuridad'' (''Twelve Seconds of Darkness''), an album that received a Grammy Award nomination. In 2008, ''Cara B'', a
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
that includes his greatest hits along with cover versions of songs written by Leonard Cohen, Caetano Veloso, and
Kiko Veneno José María López Sanfeliu (born April 3, 1952), better known by his stage name Kiko Veneno, is a Spanish musician. Biography He was born in Figueres, where he was brought up in a military home, and later grew up in Cádiz finally settling do ...
, was released. ''Cara B'' also received a Grammy nomination. The same year, Drexler wrote the score for the film ''
The City of Your Final Destination ''The City of Your Final Destination'' is a 2009 American romantic drama film directed by James Ivory and starring Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally, Hiroyuki Sanada and Norma Aleandro. It was written by Ruth Praw ...
''. During 2009, Drexler worked with Colombian performer
Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
on the Spanish-language versions of her singles "
She Wolf ''She Wolf'' ( es, Loba, link=no) is the eighth studio album and third English-language album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira. It was released on 9 October 2009, by Epic Records and Sony Music Latin. As executive producers, Shakira and Am ...
" and " Did it Again", and recorded ''Amar la Trama'' in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, Spain. Drexler described the album as playful, without "the melancholy and anguish" of ''12 Segundos''.


Recording

''Amar la Trama'' was recorded from November 1–4, 2009, at Cata Studios in Madrid, in a television studio in front of a small audience who were selected in an online contest. He chose this format to avoid the "coldness" of the
recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
. Drexler was the lead vocalist and played guitar, and was joined by a band composed of additional guitarists, a rhythm section, a horn section, backup vocalists, and auxiliary musicians. All the tracks recorded were written by the singer, with the exception of "I Don't Worry About a Thing", a song by
Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...
, which featured American pianist Ben Sidran.
Leonor Watling Leonor Elizabeth Ceballos Watling (born 28 July 1975) is a Spanish film actress and singer. Early life Leonor Ceballos Watling was born on 28 July 1975 in Madrid, to a Spanish father from Province of Cádiz, Cádiz and an English mother, the ...
performed vocals on the track "Toque de Queda"; Josemi Carmona is featured playing Spanish guitar on the song "Las Transeúntes". Drexler said, "In recent years I've realized that I sing better if I have an audience in front of me; I have learned to communicate better that way." The audience consisted of about 20 fans per session. This kept the musicians tense and alert; "the concentration was so great that it was perceived in the air, a silence so intense that you can hear it on the album." All the songs were available on the singer's official website prior to the album's release. The recording sessions were presented in the documentary ''La Trama Circular'', directed by Ariel Hassan and Juan Aragonés. Drexler recorded the album with the working title of ''Mundo Abisal'' (''Nether World''), which refers to the deep sea and the inner world of people. He eventually settled on ''Amar la Trama'' (''Loving the Plot'') because he has a passion for the
plot Plot or Plotting may refer to: Art, media and entertainment * Plot (narrative), the story of a piece of fiction Music * ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava * The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003 Other * ''Plot' ...
, "the space between the beginning and end, to be completed, in which things happen." The album cover is an original work by Manuel Rodríguez Arnabal.


Music and lyrics

On the album, Drexler was lyrically inspired by Madrid, where most of the songs were written. Drexler feels is a very optimistic album, since the title begins with the letter "a", the same as in "affection". The songs feature a completely different sound treatment, a departure from the "light electronica" of previous albums. ''Amar la Trama'' is the result of an artistic evolution originated with the recording of ''Cara B''; "with nine musicians playing and recording live on the album, I became interested in making music as in the past." This new concept was explored with a trio of
wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...
s and three percussionists, which brings great vitality and achieves bright and expansive sounds. The lyrics are very personal, and choose meaning over sonority. The first track, "Tres Mil Millones de Latidos", is a song about existence that plays with the theme of identity, which is often present in Drexler's lyrics. "Noctiluca" is a gift to his son, since "having a child is the best experience to lose the fear of feelings." The inspiration for this song was a phosphorescent sea, lit by
Noctiluca scintillans ''Noctiluca scintillans'' is a marine species of dinoflagellate that can exist in a green or red form, depending on the pigmentation in its vacuoles. It can be found worldwide, but its geographical distribution varies depending on whether it ...
, that he observed at
Cabo Polonio Cabo Polonio is a hamlet located in the eastern coast of Uruguay in the Rocha Department. Cabo Polonio has no roads leading to it and is located about 7 km from the main highway. It is accessible by walking through the dunes or by 4×4 ve ...
, Uruguay.


Reception

The album received mostly positive reviews. Jason Birchmeier of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
said it was "nothing short of tremendous" and "excellent". He praised Drexler's writing abilities and his courage in recording an album in front of a live audience; Birchmeier said that "Una Canción Me Trajo Hasta Aquí", "Mundo Abisal", and "La Trama y el Desenlace" were standouts worthy of special mention. Darío Vico of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' gave the album a perfect score of five stars, naming the album a resounding success and a "big- bang curious emotional process." Argentinian magazine, ''The Magazine'', recognized Drexler as a "master" at designing memorable melodies, and maintaining a high literary level while writing lyrics. In her review for ''Billboard'' magazine, Judy Cantor-Navas noted that the lyrics were "poetic", and addressed familiar themes for the singer: fated encounters, global wanderings, the South American experience, and the universal wonder of everyday moments. She praised "Toque de Queda", since "Drexler returns to his Southern roots musically and thematically." Cantor commented that the first track, "Tres Mil Millones de Latidos", seems "fuzzy" since the arrangement diverts attention from Drexler's voice. Drexler received four nominations at the 11th Latin Grammy Awards, including Best Singer-Songwriter Album for ''Amar la Trama'', Best Long Form Video for ''La Trama Circular'' (shared with Ariel Hassan), and Record of the Year and Song of the Year for the single "Una Canción Me Trajo Hasta Aquí". The included DVD, ''La Trama Circular'', was nominated for a Premio de la Música by the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores in Spain, for Best Musical Audiovisual Production.


Track listing


Chart performance

The album debuted and peaked at number 5 on the Spanish Album Charts on March 21, 2010, the highest debut of the week. ''Amar la Trama'' spent an additional week in the top ten and 26 weeks in the top 100.


Personnel

* Jorge Drexler – main performer, co-producer,
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income ...
, guitar * Matías Cella –
producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
, vocals * Carles Campi Campón – co-producer,
autoharp An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...
,
glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...
,
omnichord The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument introduced in 1981 by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It typically features a touch plate known as "Sonic Strings", preset rhythms, auto-bass line functionality, and buttons for ma ...
, guitar, vocals * Roc Albero –
flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...
* Borja Barrueta –
lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...
,
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
, vocals * Josemi Carmona – Spanish guitar * Ben Sidran –
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
, vocals * Josema Martín –
marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...
, vocals * Sebastián Merlín – marimba, vocals * Leo Sidran – marimba * Ángela Cervantes – vocals * Leonor Watling – vocals * Xavi Lozano – vocals


See also

* 2010 in Latin music


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amar La Trama 2010 albums Jorge Drexler albums Spanish-language albums Warner Music Group albums