Seven-time Grammy award winner Gloria Estefan has brought back to life 16 standards in her new album, "The Standards". Sony Music recently announced Gloria Estefan's return to the recording company, ally for her in the industry for over 30 years already. She is set to release the new album on September 10, 2013.
The Standards is a 16-track compilation of songs with time-honored popularity and which has deeply influenced Estefan's life and journey in the music industry.
Estefan remarked, "This album brings everything full circle for me!" She added that of the 50 songs she initially came up with and presented to co-producer Shelly Berg, she chose a total of 16 songs after her heart's desire.
According to Estefan, she has dreamt of doing this ambitious project a long time ago but she opted to wait for the perfect time and emotional elements. She believes that these standards are torch songs that would require appropriate life experience to get the right emotion for it.
Estefan instilled variations in all of her renditions and even took advantage of her language skills. The Standards has songs written in Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and English. Her collaborators include world-famous artists like Italian singer songwriter Laura Pausini, Grammy award winner violinist Joshua Bell, saxophonist Dave Koz and a brilliant orchestra.
For this album, she translated the Carlos Gardel tango classic "El Dia Que Me Quieras," into a heartbreaking English version, now entitled "The Day You Say You Love Me". Estefan personally favored the song for it was the same song to which she and husband, Emilio, danced to on their wedding day.
For Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar," Estefan translated the Brazilian classic to its first-ever English version, "It's You I'll Always Love," and she also wrote the same song in Spanish and French.
As she confesses being moved by Charlie Chaplin, Estefan wrote a Spanish version of Chaplin's "Smile" which she jointly recorded with Laura Pausini in both Spanish and Italian.
Also in the album are the American standards "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Good Morning Heartache," which she sang on her first appearance at Tonight Show in 1985 with Miami Sound Machine.
"Something magical happens when musicians record together live," says Estefan. "Everything unfolded in the way it should have - the stars aligned!" As such, all songs in this album were recorded live.
The Standards is co-produced by Gloria's husband, 19-time Grammy Award winner Emilio Estefan and Grammy Award-winning pianist, producer and arranger Shelly Berg.
Indeed, Estefan is set to reign in the Billboard charts on the coming days. Watch out as "The Standards" concert will be taped at the New World Center in Miami Beach on May 16, 2013. A recorded version will be televised in August & September on PBS. The Album will go on sale in September 10, 2013.
The album has the following songs in the list.
- Good Morning Heartache
- They Can't Take That Away From Me
- What A Difference A Day Makes
- I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
- Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar
- The Day You Say You Love Me Feat. Joshua Bell
- Embraceable You
- What A Wonderful World
- How Long Has This Been Going On Feat. Dave Koz
- Sonrie (Smile) Feat. Laura Pausini
- The Way You Look Tonight Feat. Dave Koz
- You Made Me Love You
- Young At Heart