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Cómplices () is the 18th studio album by Mexicans singer Luis Miguel, released on 2 May 2008 by Warner Music Latina. The record is a collaboration with Spanish musician Manuel Alejandro, who wrote and arranged the songs, and co-produced the album with Luis Miguel. Musically, it is a pop music album of mostly ballads and a few uptempo tracks with lyrics emphasizing romance. Two singles were released to promote the album: "Si Tú Te Atreves" and "Te Desean". To further promote the record, Luis Miguel embarked on the year-long Cómplices Tour from September 2008 to September 2009. He performed in North America and a few countries in South America.
Upon its release, Cómplices was met with mixed reactions from music journalism. While Luis Miguel's vocals and his decision to work with Alejandro were praised, the record was criticized for sounding too similar to his previous albums. Cómplices was nominated as Best Latin Pop Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards (2009) as well as Latin Pop Album of the Year by a Solo Artist at the 2009 Latin Billboard Music Awards. Commercially, Cómplices reached number one in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in the United States. By November 2015, the record had sold over 1.2 million copies.
On 14 March 2008, Luis Miguel announced that he planned to release an album on May of that year featuring original tracks composed by Spanish musician Manuel Alejandro and co-produced by both. The record's title, Cómplices, was announced on 1 April 2008 and was his first pop music album of new material since 33 (2003). Alejandro previously composed the tracks "Al Que Me Siga" and "Si Te Perdiera", for Luis Miguel's albums Mis Romances (2001) and Grandes Éxitos (2005), respectively.
The album was mainly recorded at the Record Plant studio in Los Angeles, California, with additional recordings done at Ocean Way Recording and Westlake Recording Studios; the mixing was completed at Record Plant studio as well. Cómplices is the first disc where Luis Miguel allowed someone else to have complete control of the project. Alejandro, a respected composer in the Latin pop field, formerly worked with other artists such as Julio Iglesias, Plácido Domingo, Raphael, and José José. According to Luis Miguel, it took eight or nine years to prepare the disc.
On "Estrenando Amor," he chants: "Hoy otra vez de nuevo estoy / Estrenando amor / Sueños y caricias / Nuevos besos, nueva vida / Estrenando amor / Amasando amor / Construyendo amor / Divino amor" ("Now I'm new again" / Dreams and caresses" / New kisses, new life" / "Premiering love" / "Kneading love" / "Constructing love"/ "Divine love"). "Bravo Amor, Bravo" is a "filmic analogy of the couple who feigns love and passion" and "fakes kisses." The proceeding track "Tu Imaginación", a disco tune, has the artist enjoying listening to his lover's "diversity, fantasy and ambiguity." The title track deals with "eroticism without measure that surpasses reason." Luis Miguel cites on "Amor de Hecho": "Mejor mil veces amor de hecho; mejor mil veces, que amor deshecho ("Better a thousand times love indeed; Better a thousand times, than undone love"). The final cut on the album, "Se Amaban", is about a love who "steals partners" and chronicles a couple "who adored each other, in whose relationship a stranger intervened, awakening black passions in her heart and sowing weeds in his." The bonus track, "Disfraces", is dedicated to his then-partner Aracely Arámbula. Manuel Alejandro wrote this song while living with Luis Miguel in Acapulco.
A special edition of the album, Cómplices: Edición Especial was issued on 28 April 2009. It includes a DVD featuring the for "Si Tú Te Atreves" and "Te Desean" as well as a new track "Disfraces", five commemorative , and a digital download for the remix of "Tu Imaginación" by Hex Hector. The special edition was also launched to tie-in with Mother's Day.
In addition to the singles, the title track and "Ay, Cariño" peaked at number two and three in Uruguay, respectively, and in Nicaragua at number two. "Amor de Hecho" also received radio airplay in Panama. "Amor a Mares" peak at number one in Chile. "Disfraces" was released in 2009 as a promo single for the special edition of Cómplices.
Miguel was accompanied by a 12-piece band during his tour which included horns, keyboards, guitars, two female backup singers, and a 11-piece mariachi band. His hour and forty-five minute concert consisted mainly of pop songs and ballads from Cómplices and his earlier career, as well as medleys of boleros and mariachi songs from his past catalog in a couple of medleys. The stage was made up of LED screens displaying abstract images in each song, 3 big screens, one in the middle and one on each side of the stage, also included crystal clear steps and a gleaming floor, surrounded by a display of powerful lights and sound.
Regarding Luis Miguel's performance in Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times editor Laura Emerick commented that the concert "displayed Luismi in his many musical phases: Latin pop crooner, bolero specialist, pop-rock swinger and mariachi master". She noted that Miguel "was all smiles, all upbeat attitude and genuinely happy to be there", and complimented the five-minute overture and video-clip reel that "Elvis Presley might have admired". Also commented that "Luismi appeared to be at his peak on his ranchera section — where his rich baritone sounds most at home, he even can hold his own with greats of the past". According to Pollstar, the tour grossed 36.1 million and was attended by 450,000 spectators in 73 shows reported. During his concerts in Mexico City he received a special award, a Silver Dahlia for his 180 concerts at the National Auditorium since 1991, gathering 1.5 million spectators in total. In addiction, the tour received a nomination at the 2009 Latin Billboard Music Awards for the Latin Tour of the Year.
In a mixed review of the album, El Nuevo Herald writer Sandra Palacios denoted the production as a result of Luis Miguel's experiences, and called it "retro, just like the 70's." Palacios noted that songs such as "Si Tú Te Atreves" were similar to his previous songs such as "Por Debajo de la Mesa" and "O Tú o Ninguna" and wondered when the singer would release new material that is "fresh and renovative." A reviewer for Montreal Gazette was not impressed with the record. While admiring Luis Miguel's vocals, the writer criticized Cómplices as a "collection of cookie-cutter boring tracks" which would "put one to sleep." Similarly, writing for Vida en el Valle, Olivia Ruiz found the songs to be "monotonous" and felt none of them stood out. She regarded tracks like "De Nuevo al Paraíso" and "Tu Imaginación" giving "little variety to the sounds of the ballads" and surmised the disc is "perfect for a romantic evening." In a negative review of Cómplices, José María Álvarez of Reforma criticized Luis Miguel for being unimaginative and felt the tracks were identical to each other. He unfavorably regarded "Ay, Cariño" as an overtone of fellow Mexican singer Emannuel and found the strings on the record to be "bland."
At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, Cómplices received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album, which went to La Vida... Es Un Ratico (2007) by Juanes. At the 2009 Latin Billboard Music Awards, it was nominated for Latin Pop Album of the Year by a Solo Artist, but lost to (2008) by Enrique Iglesias.
In Spain, Cómplices reached number one on its album charts and sold 65,000 copies in 2008, making it the 14th best selling album of the year. Cómplices was certified platinum by PROMUSICAE for shipping over 80,000 copies. In South America, the disc reached number one in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Additionally, it was certified multi-platinum in Argentina and Chile and platinum in Venezuela. , Cómplices had sold over 1.2 million units worldwide.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from the Cómplices liner notes:
Performance credits
Musicians
Technical credits
Recording and mixing locations
Charts
Weekly charts
+Weekly chart performance for Cómplices
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
+ Release dates and formats for Cómplices
See also
Categories: Luis Miguel Albums, 2008 Albums, Warner Music Latina Albums, 2000s Spanish-language Albums, Albums Produced By Luis Miguel, Albums Produced By Manuel Alejandro
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