I became a fan of Marc Anthony in 1999 when I heard his hit "I Need To Know".I bought the album and was very impressed.He's one of the best singers in pop music right now.So,of course,I was eagerly awaiting his new CD 'Mended'(Columbia/Sony),which was released this week.Anthony is a powerful,fiery vocalist and he sings with an emotional intensity that you seldom hear on the radio these days.The new CD is an early summer delight! I'm gonna review it,track-by-track for ya...


***"Love Won't Get Any Better"---a breezy,catchy uptempo song,with gorgeous Latin flourishes.

***"She Mends Me"---the best ballad on the album! The arrangement is lush and dreamy.

***"I've Got You"---when Vibe magazine reviewed this CD,they described this song as being reminiscent of Prince's "Alphabet St".It's a fast,catchy Latin rocker that is the current single.Expect this song to be a major smash hit!!

***"I Need You"---if you haven't guessed by now,this is a "lover's album",filled with dreamy love songs.This song is nice,and the lyrics are incredible..."I could die in your arms right now,knowing that you somehow would take my soul and keep it deep inside your heart".

***"Tragedy"---this song was co-written by Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty,but it's a much better song than Santana's "Smooth",which he also penned.Anthony really "attacks" these lyrics like you wouldn't believe! Musically,it's similiar to "I Need To Know",with a wonderful chorus and lively acoustic guitar.

***"I Reach For You"---I really dig this one! Like "I Need You",it's a pleasant,breezy midtempo track with nice melodies.

***"I Swear"---OH LAWD!!! Without question,this is the absolute highlight of the album.This is a kickass song!! The way Anthony tears into these lyrics is just amazing.The arrangement is powerful,with prominent guitar echoing Anthony's every word.I was at a Marc Anthony message board,and one fan suggested that,if he were alive today,Marvin Gaye would have loved to sing this song!! The song is definitely the most R&B song on the album,and if it isn't released as the NEXT single,I'm gonna send Sony some nasty emails...lol...

***"Don't Tell Me It's Love"---a great uptempo track that could also be a future single.

***"Do You Believe In Loneliness"---things start to get a little schmaltzy on this big,slickly produced pop ballad.Anthony sings it with all the passion he can muster,but it's one of those VH-1 ballads that aren't very distinctive or original.

***"Give Me A Reason"---R&B uptempo song that doesn't sound very distinctive or fresh.Nothing special or noteworthy about this song.

***"I Wanna Be Free"---another big,glossy pop ballad but this one is actually pretty good.Could easily be a future single.

***"Everything You Do"---a perfect lover's ballad that sizzles.This one is gorgeous.

***"Te Tengo Aqui"---a lively Spanish version of "I've Got You" closes the album.


If you buy the CD at Wal-Mart,you get two extra bonus tracks "Show Me The Way" and "You Belong With Me".Those two songs are excellent.The entire CD is great,and it's likely to generate several hit singles in the coming months.Marc Anthony sings his heart out on every song,and even when the material isn't top-notch,his strong,angst-stricken tenor saves the day.Forget Ricky Martin or Enrique Iglesias,Marc blows both of them away!

You ARE kidding, right?

HarleyQuinn said:

No,I'm serious! Marc Anthony is da man

I love his music

He's one of the best singers around, I heard him live and even without music he carries the tune and he improvises great he knows when to hold a note or change it. And "mended" is HOT!!! CALIENTE!!! Vamos a bailar!

I love "I got you" in Spanish, or and the title is the not exactly the translation from English, just to let ya'll know!

What are your favorite songs on the CD? I'm really digging the songs "I Reach For You" and "I Swear".

these are the ones i like

Give me a reason &
Do you believe in loneliness

babydoll4u said:

You know,"Give Me A Reason" is starting to grow on me.Here's an interesting story about the song "Tragedy".It was chosen as the first single back in late summer 2001,but after the terrorist attacks on September 11,Marc felt uncomfortable promoting a song with that title.So,after many delays,Sony finally chose "I Need You" as the "official" first single.It's too bad,because "Tragedy" is really a great song that never got the chance to become the hit it deserved to be.
[This message was edited Wed May 29 14:21:12 PDT 2002 by DavidEye]

the ones from the Marc Anthony self titled cd.

You sang to me &
when i dream at night

[This message was edited Wed May 29 15:03:53 PDT 2002 by babydoll4u]

He sings great salsa too. One of the best!

babydoll4u said:

"Cause I only feel alive,when I dream at night...even though she's not real,it's alright..." LOVE THAT SONG!!!

purpleleaf7 said:

I like his salsa music too.
[This message was edited Wed May 29 16:56:43 PDT 2002 by babydoll4u]

DavidEye said:

I like "I got you" and "tragedy"! HOT!

marc anthony is coming to the
shoreline in san francisco
7/31/02
i'm going.

babydoll4u said:

Actually,the Shoreline is in Mountain View and I'm going too:) Tickets go on-sale this Sunday morning.I didn't know you were in the Bay Area!!