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Siembra (transl. "Sowing") is the second studio album by Panamanian singer and songwriter Rubén Blades and Puerto Rican-American singer and trombonistWillie Colón. It was released through Fania Records on 7 September 1978. It is considered the best selling salsa album in the history of salsa music. Was recorded by Jerry Masucci and Johnny Pacheco at the La Tierra Sound Studios between 1977 and 1978.
Background
Siembra is the second of four collaborative duo albums produced by Rubén Blades and Willie Colón. During its time, it was the best-selling salsa record in history. It has sold over three million copies worldwide, and almost all of its songs were hits at one time or another in various Latin American countries. With its rousing social commentary and unconventional sound, "Siembra" set the salsa world on fire and remains one of the most original and influential works in that genre. Among Siembra's tracks, Blades' masterpiece is still "Pedro Navaja," a song that he fashioned after Bertolt Brecht's "Threepenny Opera."
John Bush of AllMusic praised the composition of the songs by Blades as well the arrangements by Colón. Bush emphasizes the use of disco arrangements at the beginning of the first track, "Plástico", until Colón's band "slip into a devastating salsa groove". He also praised Blade's vocals, noting his high-tenor voice on "Buscando Guayaba" and tender tones on "Dime". The album was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007. It was listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2024, it was ranked number one on the “Los 600 de Latinoamérica” list compiled by a collective of music journalists, highlighting the top 600 Latin American albums from 1920-2022. The album was named one of the 50 greatest salsa albums of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine in October 2024.
In pop culture
The song "Buscando Guayaba" was featured in the 1988 Disney animated film Oliver & Company.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Rubén Blades, except where noted
^ Cruz, Bárbara (1997). Rubén Blades: Salsa Singer and Social Activist. Enslow Publishers. ISBN9780894908934. Retrieved August 2, 2023. Their album Siembra , produced in 1978 , is considered to be the best - selling salsa album in history , selling over 3 million copies
