Ricky Martin

Here, Ricky Martin abandons his image as a bon-bon shaking pop star. Performing rootsier versions of past hits and new songs tinged with flamenco and the folk rhythms of his native Puerto Rico, he takes a more relaxed approach to pop and Latin song styles. Martin's so laid back that on "Tu Recuerdo," the album's biggest hit, he gives the sweet-voiced singer La Mari, from Spanish flamenco fusion band Chambao, center stage. And it works. So does his exceptional acoustic band, featuring pan-Latin percussion, Puerto Rican cuatro, Spanish guitar, and brass. Martin mesmerizes the studio audience from the start on what could be his best album ever.