Last week Ricardo Montaner was released Ricardo Montaner 2 (Montaner Edition), a re-recording of his 1988 album that included such classics as “Tan Enamorados” and “A Dónde Va el Amor”. The new set arrives less than a month later Ricardo Montaner (Montaner edition)and is part of a larger project in which the acclaimed Latin pop singer-songwriter aims to give his old music a more contemporary sound.
“I think it has a lot to do with responsibility,” Montaner says Billboard Español for this initial six-album project, all under his own independent label Hecho a Mano. “The sound of my music at that time did not match the technical advances available today. […] I want fans from that era to enjoy my music today and to do so under the exact same conditions that people enjoy music today.”
But this is not the only motivation for the Argentine-Venezuelan musician. A contract he signed early in his career with Love Records, then part of Venezuela's Sono-Rodven label, did not include rights to his masters, which he says are now in the hands of Universal Music Group. (In 1995, Sono-Rodven transferred its operations to PolyGram, which was later acquired by the multinational).
“I need my artistic legacy to pass into the hands of my children,” explains Montaner. “I never earned a penny in royalties from any of my first six albums. To this day, with more than 40 years of career, I have not received a single penny from the sales of the album 'Yo Que Te Amé', 'Tan Enamorados', 'La Cima del Cielo'. Los Hijos del Solthe album En El Último Lugar del Mundo.“
“Contracts at the time were predatory and completely unfavorable to the artist, so that's a very, very strong incentive. If I didn't earn a dime for my music at the beginning of my career and when I was most successful, today I'm looking to record independently so that my children can, at least from now on, have the peace of mind that his music their father – especially the most important, the most iconic or emblematic music of his career – will pass into their hands,” he continues. “I also complain to people who have the original masters, the first masters of my career, since they were already recorded 40 years ago. I ask that they return them to me.”
Neither Montaner nor his team has clarified whether there is a formal complaint or lawsuit, “beyond the fact that Ricardo is trying to get back at his masters,” said one person from his team. Billboard Español. Universal Music Latin had not responded to a request for comment sent on Monday (July 22) by the time of publication.
Montaner's re-recording of his albums – reminiscent of Taylor Swift's hit “Taylor's Version” series – is a painstaking project with “exactly the same” musical arrangements as the originals and cover art from the era reproduced in great detail (from the set design and wardrobe to the singer's pose) on a fun and exciting nostalgia trip.
Montaner's voice remains almost completely intact. The only change, apart from better sound quality, is the freedom that comes with age and maturity.
“I recognize that today I sing 'Me Va a Extrañar', 'Tan Enamorados', 'La Cima del Cielo' or 'Yo Que Te Amé' differently than I sang them at the time,” he admits. “But today, I'm sitting from another perspective of my life, seeing that I have nothing more to prove in the sense that these songs don't have the risk that they did back then […] it gives me a lot more freedom to sing them.”
The next releases from the project will arrive on September 6 with the album Un Toque de Misterio (Versión Montaner) and the single “La Cima del Cielo (Montaner version)” followed by En El Último Lugar del Mundo (Montaner Version)with “Será (Versión Montaner)” as the lead single, on November 1st. His re-recordings Los Hijos del Sol and Una Mañana Y Un Camino will arrive in early 2025.
After these would come three more releases of albums later in Montaner's career, this time just for pure pleasure: “I felt like repeating the albums Con La London Metropolitan Orchestra, which were two unforgettable projects for me” he says excitedly, without revealing what the third would be. “We already have Abbey Road studios booked for early November this year to record the three versions in a single session.”
Retired from the stage at least for a while, Montaner now enjoys popping in and out of the studio while making the most of his time with his family, which includes his wife Marlene, children Alejandro, Héctor, Mau y Ricky and Evaluna. (all musicians), as well as six grandchildren who will soon be seven with the imminent arrival of Evaluna and Camilo's second baby.
“I want to have time to live this,” says Montaner from Medellín, Colombia, where his wife has released a new book, El Libro del Corazón. He also recently traveled to Spain and Argentina to watch his children perform. For many years, “he missed a lot of things from Marlene and my loved ones because I was doing my own thing. […] I don't want it to be once in a while and because time allowed. Today I want to have my time and be everywhere with them.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/ricardo-montaner-rerecords-first-six-albums-1235737384/
