''Cargar la Suerte'' (English: ''Carry the Luck'') is the fifteenth studio album by Argentine musician

Andrés Calamaro Andrés Calamaro (Andrés Calamaro Massel, August 22, 1961) is an Argentine musician, composer and Latin Grammy winner. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential rock artists in Spanish. He is also one of the most complete artist ...

, released on November 2, 2018, through

Universal Music Spain Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...

. It was produced by

Gustavo Borner Gustavo Borner is an Argentine producer, engineer and mixer. He has worked with several artists both from Argentina like Fito Páez, Andrés Calamaro and León Gieco as well as from other countries of Latin America like Juanes, Ricky Martin and Pe ...

and features collaborations from Germán Wiedemayer and

Daniel Melingo Daniel Melingo (born October 22, 1957) is an Argentine musician, with a background in rock (he played guitar for Los Twist and saxophone for Los Abuelos de la Nada). He is now a tango artist and tours with his band Los Ramones del tango. Bi ...

. At the

20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on Thursday, November 14, 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast on Univision. The telecast marked the 20th anniversary of the Latin Grammy Awards and honored outsta ...

, the album was nominated for

Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

and won Best Pop/Rock Album while the song "Verdades Afiladas" was nominated for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

and won Best Rock Song. Additionally, at the

21st Annual Gardel Awards The 21st Annual Premios Gardel ceremony were held on May 14, 2019. The TNT Latin America networks broadcast the show live from the Ángel Bustelo Auditorium in Mendoza. It was the first time that the ceremony was held outside Buenos Aires. The c ...

the album was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Male Rock Album while "Verdades Afiladas" was nominated for Song of the Year.

Background

The album was recorded at Sphere Studios in

Los Angeles, United States Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the w ...

, it was produced by

and featured arrangements and lyrics by Germán Wiedemayer, it also featured collaboration from

, former member of the Argentine band

Los Abuelos de la Nada Los Abuelos de la Nada ( en, link=no, The Grandparents of Nothingness) was an Argentinian new wave/Argentine rock band. The group underwent several incarnations throughout its history, with all of them led by its founder and frontman, singer-son ...

, in the fifth track "Siete Vidas". The name of the album comes from the Spanish expression "cargar la suete", used in

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms w ...

, literally translated to "carry the luck" in English the expression refers to the position in which the bullfighter approaches the bull, according to Calamaro "cargar la suerte means to put yourself in the way of the bull with your body, to put the leg in front to provoque the bull from close". The first single of the album was "Verdades Afiladas", the music video for the song was directed by Diego Salpurido and features Calamaro a taxi driver. The album was described as a "guitar album" due to its instrumentation, ranging from slower songs like the ballads "Mi Ranchera" and "Cuarteles de Invierno" to more upbeat songs such as "Adán Rechaza", "Siete Vidas", "Falso LV" and the proto-rap "Las Rimas", in the album Calamaro explores personal experiences and relationships like in "Tránsito Lento" about life while travelling, "My Mafia" dedicated to his friends and "Voy a Volver" about his natal country Argentina.

Critical reception

Iñaki Molinos from ''Mondo Sonoro'' gave the album a seven out of ten calling it "Calamaro's best work since the acclaimed ''

La Lengua Popular ''La Lengua Popular'' (''The Popular Tongue'') is the 17th album by Argentine musician and composer Andrés Calamaro, released by Dro Atlantic in 2007. Its cover art was created by cartoonist Liniers Liniers is a barrio (neighborhood) of Bueno ...

'' (2007)", writing that "despite being scarce in terms of great singles or big hits, the exquisite production and interpretation of this work, the patience and dedication in each of the texts, the importance of the guitars and the always unfathomable emotion that Andrés preserves in his songs make his new work into a bang on the table".

Track listing

All tracks were produced by

Charts

References

{{authority control 2018 albums Andrés Calamaro albums 2010s Spanish-language albums