May 2, 2007 - According To Billboard, RICKY MARTIN’s “Tu Recuerdo” Is The #1 Latin Song Of The Year Thusfar
In A Special Issue This Week For The Billboard Latin Music Conference,
The First Single From Martin’s Widely Praised MTV Unplugged Album
Is #1 On The Year-to-Date “HOT LATIN SONGS” Chart
Simultaneously, The Just-Begun U.S. Arena Dates For Ricky Martin’s “Black & White” Tour Have Been Winning Rave Reviews:
“Ricky Martin is all grown up now… [Martin] presented an introspective show Friday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. On the third night of the North American leg of his Black & White tour, the superstar-turned-humanitarian bared a little bit of his soul, sharing the ups and downs of his journey to stardom and his newfound passion to help others… he guided the audience through a musical collage of his career… It's clear that Ricky Martin – who became an overnight American music sensation after stealing the show at the 1999 Grammy Awards – has transcended the pretty-boy pop star image and grown up into a musician eager to explore other rhythms. The nearly two-hour bilingual show… highlighted the artist's maturity to break out of the typical…. Martin's charisma and remarkable dance moves kept many yelling for more… The singer-turned-UNICEF goodwill ambassador, whose self-named foundation focuses on helping poor and exploited children, spoke of gratitude and being a part of change.”- Orange County Register, 4/23/07
“[Martin] is every inch the showman… with a powerful voice capable of belt or lilt, chops that he used to great effect over the course of a bilingual, 19-song, career-spanning set. Backed by a crack team dancers,an 11-piece band as tight and prescribed as any Broadway pit orchestra… passionate vocals…Martin moved through the hits, from a lush, smoldering take on 1995's "Fuego De Noche Nieve de Dia" to the seductive "Tu Recuerdo" from his latest album, "Ricky Martin MTV Unplugged…A showstopper among a set of showstoppers was the international hit "Livin' La Vida Loca," but Martin's lengthy post-song soliloquy suggested the loca part of the artist's vida is a thing of the past."I'm having a great time in my life…likable Martin pulls off sincere quite well.” – Variety, 4/23/07
“Ricky Martin was Electrifying... The singer showed maturity-and sensuality at The Staples Center… Martin left both his soul and a lot of sweat upon the stage after an exhilarating concert…the Black & White tour proves the maturity of an artist who knows how to please his audience, and also dares to re-interpret some of his past hits.” – La Opinion (translated)
Ricky Martin will be at the American Bank Center Arena May 10, 2007 at 8pm.
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS ONLINE AT TICKETMASTER.COM
Ricky Martin has a good deal to celebrate this week, and he is doing just that with fans across the country as part of the U.S. dates for his worldwide “Black & White” Tour. Having already met with record-setting attendance across Latin America and regular placement in Billboard’s “Boxscore” chart of the top grossing concerts in the music industry, the tour has just arrived in America and is already filling arenas and winning critical praise. Simultaneously, Martin has just learned that “Tu Recuerdo” – the first single from his recent Ricky Martin: MTV Unplugged – is the #1 charting Latin song of the year thus far according to Billboard. Having scored numerous weeks at #1, and still in the upper reaches of the chart more then seven months since its release, “Tu Recuerdo” has landed at #1 on Billboard’s just published “Hot Latin Songs” year-to-date chart.
Uniting Martin’s passions of musical performance and humanitarian work, partial proceeds from each ticket of the U.S. concert dates of the Black & White Tour will be donated to further support the work of The Ricky Martin Foundation – which advocates for the well being of children around the globe in critical areas such as social justice, education and health. In addition to the foundation’s recent work that has seen Martin testify before Congress on the prevention of child trafficking, work with Habitat for Humanity to complete 200+ homes for Tsunami victims, and the highly successful “Navega Protegido” initiative which is a partnership with Bill Gates and Microsoft to increase the online safety of children in Latin America, the foundation will shortly be unveiling a new initiative in partnership with leading educational institutions to promote both health and further protection from the dangers of trafficking in Hispanic communities.
In conjunction with the tour’s U.S. dates, SONY/BMG will release a Limited Edition Tour Pack of Ricky Martin: MTV Unplugged on May 8th – uniting both the CD and the DVD of the Unplugged broadcast together for a limited time only.
“[Martin] has become -- a true role model…he has focused much of his attention on humanitarian campaigns for children living in Third World countries… On Tuesday night, Martin came to the HP Pavilion in San Jose to launch the North American leg of his Black and White Tour… the lasting impression was of a performer who dearly wants to be a good role model for his audience. It's hard to remember the last time Bay Area fans saw that at an arena-level pop show. Martin came across like a breath of fresh air as he talked to his fans, some of whom were proudly waving Puerto Rican flags, about issues like gratitude. Unlike some performers, who give thanks for their expensive cars and flashy jewelry, the singer spoke of being grateful for being alive, for having family and friends, for being able to walk and, most of all, for the ability to have faith. Those moments came across as utterly honest and believable… He's intrigued by African beats and Eastern rhythms and has incorporated those sounds into his set lists. In other words, he's attempting to grow professionally… Martin opened his elaborate show… in fine form with a big production of "Pegate." The horns were blaring, Martin was shaking and crowd members were up on their feet and madly waving their hands above their heads during this fiery tune, which hails from Martin's most-recent release, 2006's "MTV Unplugged." – San Jose Mercury News
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