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| Jon Secada Returns To His Latin Roots The acclaimed, velvety croon of multiple Grammy Award winner Jon Secada, has resulted in numerous hits in English and Spanish establishing him as a major bilingual artist. So, it is no surprise that Secada has chosen to pay homage to some of the artists and songwriters who helped shaped his own musical history. The CD, simply titled "Classics" ("Clasicos" in Spanish) is a timeless and romantic recording of songs made famous in both languages by some of the world's most well-known artists including Elvis, Perry Como, Doris Day, Richie Valens and Frank Sinatra, among others. The CD will be available in English and Spanish editions in stores on March 30, 2010, on Big 3 Records. "This collection truly represents my musical history that is both very Latin and very American, " says Secada of his new CD. "I grew up in a very bilingual environment and these songs were a big part of shaping my musical styles and inspirations, whether I knew them first in English or Spanish." A tribute to the songwriters and artists, "Classics / Clasicos" is a fully orchestrated album recorded in Nashville, TN, and produced by James Stroud with Bill Edwards as Executive Producer. The collection features the standards "Cuando Cuando, " "Spanish Harlem, " "Besame Mucho, " "My Way, " "La Bamba, " and "Que Sera Sera" among others. "This CD is different from other standards CDs because each song was dually successful in both English and Spanish by a host of international artists who have had success either as bilingual or crossover artists, " explains Secada. Bill Edwards, Executive Producer and Chairman/CEO of Big 3 Records adds, "I am proud to be a part of this stellar collaboration with Jon and the magic created on this record is truly a wonderful tribute to the original singers and songwriters through Jon's unique talent." Though Secada doesn't have a favorite song on the CD, he does have a special bond to "My Way." Having recorded a duet with Frank Sinatra for his Duets II album, getting the chance to record this song was special. "I really wanted to pay homage to Sinatra on this record because of the impact he had on me when we worked together, " admits Secada. Jon Secada is known by millions as an international superstar who has sold over 20 million records worldwide, written and produced his own hits as well as those for such artists as Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. After starting his career as a songwriter and background vocalist for superstar Gloria Estefan, Jon's 1992 self-titled debut album sold more than six million copies worldwide and was certified triple platinum in the U.S.A, where it reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. He later scored a Top 5 hit with the single "Just Another Day, " and three more top 30 hits, "Angel, " "I'm Free, " and "Do You Believe in Us?" The Spanish-language version of the album, Otro Dia Mas Sin Verte, became the Number One Latin album of 1992 and earned Jon his first Grammy Award, for Best Latin Pop Album. This landmark success was followed by Jon's second album, Heart Soul and Voice, which went Platinum in the U.S.A. and spun off the Top 10 hit "If You Go." His third album, "Amor, " earned the singer his second Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance. In 1995, Jon took a step out of the music spotlight and on to the Broadway stage where he dazzled audiences and critics as the first-ever Latin Danny Zuko in the revival of Grease. In 2003 Jon returned to as the Emcee in the Sam Mendes production of Cabaret. When he returned to pop music in 2006 with Same Dream, once again Secada received more rave reviews and the CD was hailed by Billboard as "the kind of meticulously produced album that most of us thought were a thing of the past." Jon, a musician who is always on the cutting edge, recently released his jazz CD, Expressions to critical acclaim and, finished his fourth season as a judge on Latin American Idol. Also, staying in tune with the latest trends, Jon is currently followed by more than 825, 000 fans on Twitter. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |