Frenesí (album)

Frenesí
Studio album by
Linda Ronstadt
ReleasedAugust 25, 1992 (1992-08-25)
RecordedApril 1991 (1991-04)
StudioSkywalker Sound (Lucas Valley, California)
Genre
Length42:22
LanguageSpanish
Label
ProducerPeter Asher
Linda Ronstadt chronology
Mas Canciones
(1991) 		Frenesí
(1992) 		Winter Light
(1993)

Frenesí (transl. Frenzy) is a studio album by American singer Linda Ronstadt. It was released on August 25, 2000, by Elektra and Rhino Records. A mambo and bolero album, Ronstadt covers Latin standards with arrangements done by Ray Santos. She was influenced to record the album following her participation of The Mambo Kings (1992) film. The record's productions were handled by Peter Asher and George Massenburg. The album was promoted with four promotional singles: the title track, "Entre Abismos", "Piensa en Mi", and "Piel Canela".

Following its release, Frenesí was met with mixed reactions from music critics. While Santos' arrangements were mostly praised, critics were divided on Ronstadt's delivery on the songs. Despite the reception, the record won Best Tropical Latin Album at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993. Commercially, it reached number 193 and two on the Billboard 200 and the Tropical Albums charts in the United States and number 79 in the Netherlands.

Background and musical style

On August 1991, Linda Ronstadt revealed that she recorded two songs for the film The Mambo Kings (1992), "Quiéreme Mucho" and "Perfidia".[1] The recordings influenced her to record an album of mambo standards which began on April 1991 and took place at the Skywalker Sound in California, US.[2][3] Ronstadt recruited American musician and bandleader Ray Santos, who arranged most of the tracks for the Mambo Kings soundtrack, for the album.[4]

The album's title, Frenesí, was announced on June 1992 and is her third Spanish-language album after Canciones de Mi Padre (1987) and Mas Canciones (1991).[5] It features the singer covering Latin standards,[5] namely mambos and boleros.[6] Ronstadt re-recorded "Quiéreme Mucho" and "Perfidia" for the album.[7] The record was produced by George Massenburg and Ronstadt's longtime collaborator Peter Asher.[8]

Release and promotion

Frenesí was released on August 25, 1992, by Elektra Records and Rhino Records.[7][9] The title track and "Entre Abismos" were released as promotional singles for the album in the US,[10][11] while "Piel Canela" and "Piensa en Mi" did the same in Europe.[12][13] "Frenesí" and "Entre Abismos" peaked at numbers seven and 33 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, respectively.[14] A tour in the US was planned to promote the album, but was cancelled following the destruction of Hurricane Andrew in Florida.[15]

Critical reception and commercial performance

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC[16]
The Cincinnati Enquirer[17]
The Indianapolis Star[18]
Los Angeles Times[19]
Oakland Tribune[20]
The San Diego Union-Tribune[21]
The Times[22]

AllMusic editor Roch Parisien rated Frenesí two-out-of-five stars and commented that there's "little that sounds street level or rootsy about these sessions", though Parisien stated some tracks such as "Entre Abismos" "swing mightily".[3] Billboard reviewer Paul Verna felt that Santos' arrangements and Ronstadt's vocals "prevent record from soaring on up-tempo numbers", but complimented the singer on the boleros.[23] Greg Sandow graded the record a "C". Although Sandow found the Ray Santos Orchestra to be "touching and addictive", he was not impressed with Ronstadt's vocal delivery on the "strain of singing loudly makes her voice go hard and flat".[16]

Cliff Radel of the Cincinnati Enquirer praised the artist for singing in Spanish "with a simmering passion that dances cheek to cheek with fiery trumpets and regal Latin rhythms".[17] In a positive review of the album, The Indianapolis Star critic Judy Wolf lauded Ronstadt's "incredible voice" and opined that the string sections are "well suited to support and accent her power". Wolf also complimented the orchestra as a "good fit as Nelson Riddle".[18] Enrique Blanc stated that while the artist "faithful to the sound that these musical styles had in the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s", he commented that Ronstadt "doesn’t go beyond nostalgia".[19]

Larry Kelp wrote for the Oakland Tribunethat the arrangements by Santos' orchestra as "gorgeous" and observed that she "sound comfortable" performing the songs. However, Kelp noted "rarely is there much emotional depth in her delivery".[20] A reviewer for the Times claimed Frenesí is "her most satisfying effort in years".[22] George Varga of the San Diego Union-Tribune was more critical of the record. While noting the notable musicians on Santos' orchestra, he found their performance to be "too innocuous to offer any real challenge" and felt Ronstadt's renditions "turns them into case studies in triteness."[21]

At the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993, Frenesí won the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album.[24]

Commercially, Frenesí peaked at number 193 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Tropical Albums charts in the US.[25][26] It was fifth best-selling tropical album of 1993 in the country.[27] The album also reached number 79 in the Netherlands.[28]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Frenesí"
3:30
2."Mentira Salomé"Ignacio Piñeiro2:50
3."Alma Adentro"Sylvia Rexach3:11
4."Entre Abismos"Victor Manuel Mato3:21
5."Cuando Me Querías Tú"Emilio Catarell Vela3:07
6."Piel Canela"
3:02
7."Verdad Amarga"Consuelo Velázquez3:23
8."Despojos"Francisco Arrieta3:02
9."En Mi Soledad"Miguel Pous2:53
10."Piensa en Mí"Maria Teresa Lara2:55
11."Quiéreme Mucho"
  • Augustin Rodriguez
  • Gonzalo Roig
3:23
12."Perfidia"
  • Alberto Dominguez
  • Milton Leeds
3:44
13."Te Quiero Dijiste"Maria Mendez Grever4:01
Total length:42:22

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic and the liner notes of Frenesí.[29][30]

Performance credits

  • Linda Ronstadt – vocals
  • Juan Jose Almaguer, Jesús Guzmán and Monica Trevino – vocal trio
  • Tito Allen, Yayo "El Indio" Pequero and Adalberto Santiago – chorus

The Ray Santos Orchestra

Skywalker Symphony (Tracks 1–10 & 13)

  • Jenny Amador, Jeff Beal, Deborah Bellamy, Stuart Canin, Jeremy Cohen, Adrienne Duckworth, James Dukey, Joseph Edelberg, Ronald Ericson, Nina Flyer, Clifton Foster, Ruth Freeman, Deborah Henry, Jim Hurley, Roxann Jacobson, David Kadarauch, William Klingelhofer, Katheryn McElrath, Sharon O'Connor, Virginia Price-Kvistad, Martha Rubin, Nathan Rubin, Irene Sazer, Rebecca Sebring, James Shallenberger, Greg Sudmeir, Mark Summer and John Tenney – orchestra players

String section (Tracks 11 & 12)

  • Daniel Kobialka – concertmaster
  • Deborah Bellamy, Robert Galbraith, Lloyd Gowen, Elizabeth Hedges-Glatty, Ellen Pesavento, Nora Pirquet, Thomas Rose, Nancy Stenzen and Marianne Wagner – string players

Technical credits

  • George Massenburg – producer (1-10, 13), engineer (1-10, 13), mixing
  • Peter Asher – producer (11, 12)
  • Nathaniel Kunkel – engineer (1-10, 13)
  • Shawn Murphy – recording (11, 12)
  • David Gleeson – assistant engineer
  • Craig Silvey – assistant engineer
  • Brett Swain – assistant engineer
  • Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
  • Robert Blakeman – photography
  • John Kosh – art direction, design

Charts

References

  1. ^ "Linda Ronstadt Sings Spanish songs for 'Mambo Kings'". Daily Times-Advocate. August 9, 1991. p. A2. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  2. ^ Lannert, John (January 15, 1992). "She's Not In it For the Pesos". The Record. p. E-15. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Parisien, Roch. "Frenesi - Linda Ronstadt". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  4. ^ Jaeger, Barbara (November 12, 1992). "A Steady Course on Familiar Turf". The Record. p. C06. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Steinberg, David (June 11, 1992). "No Boundaries". Albuquerque Journal. p. G3. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  6. ^ Mtichell, Rick (November 17, 1992). "Linda Rondstadt Still Musical Exploerer". Houston Chronicle. p. 10D. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Que Linda". USA Today. August 20, 1992. p. 9A. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  8. ^ Feist, Daniel (October 17, 1992). "Four Exceptionally Gifted Women Turn in Sizzling Performances". The Gazette. p. E11. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  9. ^ "Frenesí - Releases". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  10. ^ Linda Ronstadt (1992). Frenesí (Promo single CD). United States: Elektra Records. PRCD 8626-2.
  11. ^ Linda Ronstadt (1992). Entre Abismos (Promo single CD). United States: Elektra Records. PRCD-8684.
  12. ^ Linda Ronstadt (1993). Piel Canela (Promo single CD). Germany: WEA. WEA 1651.
  13. ^ Linda Ronstadt (1993). Piensa En Mi / Perfidia (Promo single CD). France: Elektra. Elektra PRO 354.
  14. ^ "Linda Ronstadt: Chart history – Hot Latin Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  15. ^ Stack, Peter (October 22, 1992). "Ronsdadt Rethinks Her Big Tour". San Francisco Chronicle. p. E2. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  16. ^ a b Sandow, Greg (September 11, 1992). "Frenesi Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 22, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Radel, Cliff (August 23, 1992). "On the Record". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. J-3. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  18. ^ a b Wolf, Judy (September 21, 1992). "A Smooth Ride in 'Start the Car'". The Indianapolis Star. p. B-5. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  19. ^ a b Blanc, Enrique (November 1, 1992). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Kelp, Larry (September 13, 1992). "That Plucky Fellow". Oakland Tribune. p. 5. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Varga, George (August 27, 1992). "Ronstadt Does Mambo, Badly". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. NIGHT & DAY-10.
  22. ^ a b "Record Reviews". The Times. September 6, 1992. p. C3. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  23. ^ Verna, Paul (August 29, 1992). "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 104 (35): 52. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  24. ^ "1993 Grammy Winners". The New York Times. February 26, 1993. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Tropical Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  27. ^ a b "The Year in Music: 1993 - Top Tropical/Salsa Latin Albums" (PDF). Billboard. December 25, 1993. p. YE-56. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 30, 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Dutchcharts.nl – Linda Ronstadt – Frenesi" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  29. ^ Ronstadt, Linda (1992). Frenesí (Album liner notes). United States: Elektra.
  30. ^ Parisien, Roch. "Frenesi - Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  31. ^ "Linda Ronstandt ARIA chart history 1988 to May 2025". ARIA. Retrieved June 8, 2025 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  32. ^ "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Top Latin Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
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