Dicen Que Soy

Following the release of her debut studio album, Breaking Night (1989), La India went on to produce When the Night is Over (1991), a collaboration between her then-husband Little Louie Vega and Marc Anthony. Both albums were recorded at the time when freestyle music's popularity was beginning to wane, and neither was a commercial success.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/india-mn0000099730/biography|title=India — Biography|last=Birchmeier|first=Jason|publisher=AllMusic. Rovi Corporation|access-date=March 23, 2014}} India and Vega left Atlantic Records, as India wanted to pursue her singing career performing in Spanish.{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IygEAAAAMBAJ&q=la+india+ralph+mercado+palmieri&pg=PA141|title=Nuyorican Soul Sista|journal=Vibe|publisher=Spin Media|date=March 2000|volume=8|issue=2|page=141|issn=1070-4701}} Three years later, American musician Eddie Palmieri, who had heard her singing on the radio, wrote and produced India's first Spanish-language record titled Llegó la India, via Eddie Palmieri (1992).{{cite book|first1 = Cordelia|last1 = Candelaria|authorlink1=Cordelia Candelaria | first2 = Peter|last2 = Garcia| first3 = Arturo|last3 =Adalma| volume = 2| title = Encyclopedia of Latino popular culture| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=STjcB_f7CVcC&q=india+palmieri&pg=PA413 |access-date = March 14, 2011| date = October 30, 2004| publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group| location = Westport, United States| isbn = 9780313322150| pages = 413}} Although it was a commercial success,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=66VX3BFD-egC&q=la+india+ralph+mercado&pg=PA71|title=Musica!: The Rhythm of Latin America – Salsa, Rumba, Merengue, and More|last=Steward|first=Sue|date=October 1, 1999|publisher=Chronicle Books|page=71|isbn=9780811825665|access-date=March 23, 2014}} her high-pitched vocals were criticized.{{cite web|url=http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/archives/Interview53A|title=Interview: Sergio George|publisher=Descarga.com|last=Child|first=John|date=September 18, 2007|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324083714/http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/archives/Interview53A|archive-date=March 24, 2014|url-status=dead}}

Subsequently, India was signed to Ralph Mercado's record label RMM. Her first recording under the label was a cover of Basilio's song "Vivir lo Nuestro", a duet with Anthony for the RMM compilation album Combinacion Perfecta (1993).{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-17-ca-51267-story.html|title=POP MUSIC REVIEW : 'Combinacion': Salsa's Dream Team : Some of the Best of the Genre Show Up for Live Presentation of Album|first=Ernesto|last=Lechner|date=October 17, 1994|access-date=April 20, 2014|work=Los Angeles Times}} It was released as a single where it peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marc-anthony-mn0000673486/awards|title=Marc Anthony — Awards|publisher=AllMusic. Rovi Corporation|access-date=April 21, 2014}} The record was produced by American musician Sergio George who picked the song for the duo as he felt it was the right track for them to perform, despite the pair not being close friends at the time. George said he took the recording as a "personal challenge" because he believed India's voice was "extraordinary".

{{quote box|width=30%|quote=Since house music at the time was her forte, I had her sing house style vocal riffs over the salsa tracks, even over where horn lines would normally go. Instead of hearing a horn "mambo" as usual, I gave you India doing her thing, which gave her an identity and sound that no one else had.|source=Sergio George, Descarga.com.}}

For Dicen Que Soy, George picked songs that had been previously recorded by female Latin singers such as Rocío Jurado and Lupita D'Alessio, with a focus on feminist lyrics. George, India, and Shirley Marte also wrote love songs ("Dejate Amar" and "No Me Conviene") for the album and added India's cover of George Benson's song "I Just Want to Hang Around You" as a counterbalance, in case the feminist songs did not prove popular. When describing the production, India said that "This is me, my flavor in a tropical way, and showing what I can do with my voice."{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-14-ca-27029-story.html|title=She's S-s-s-smokin'! : India burned up the Latin charts, with her '93 debut, 'Llego La India.' Her new 'Dicen Que Soy . . . ' goes beyond the hot dance-club sound and dips deeper into her Caribbean salsa roots.|last=Oumano|first=Elena|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 14, 1994|access-date=March 23, 2014|page=2}} The theme of the title track's lyrics revolves the singer being criticized by gossips without caring about their opinions.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gefjk07Y9kEC&pg=PP1|title=Everynight Life: Culture and Dance in Latin/o America|first1= Celeste Fraser|last1=Delgado|first2=José Esteban|last2=Muñoz|page=234|date=June 18, 1997|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=9780822319191|access-date=March 23, 2014}} Puerto Rican singer Tito Nieves is featured on the song "No Me Conviene" and "Vivir lo Nuestro" was included as a bonus track for the album.{{cite AV media notes |title=Dicen Que Soy |others=La India |year=1994 |type=album |publisher=RMM Records & Video |id=CDZ-81373 |location=DLG Studios in New Jersey}} Musically, the production mixes romantic and hard salsa music along with funk and timba. The record took four months to complete.

{{Listen

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|description=A 28 second sample of the track, "Ese Hombre", one of the songs that La India covers in the album.

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"Nunca Voy a Olvidarte" was the first single to be released from the album. It peaked at number 11 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and number one on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/303775/india/chart?f=363|title=India — Chart history: Hot Latin Songs|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date=March 23, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/india-mn0000099730/awards|title=India — Awards|publisher=AllMusic. Rovi Corporation|access-date=March 23, 2014}} The second single, "Ese Hombre", reached number 12 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and became her second number-one song on the Tropical Songs chart. "Que Ganas de No Verte Más" peaked at number 24 on the Hot Latin Songs and number two on the Tropical Songs charts. "Dicen Que Soy" and "O Ella o Yo" reached number five and seven respectively on the Tropical Songs chart.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score ={{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/dicen-que-soy-mw0000120140|title=Dicen Que Soy — India: Overview|publisher=AllMusic. Rovi Corporation|access-date=March 23, 2014}}

| rev2 = Latina

| rev2Score =favorable{{cite journal|title=Dicen Que Soy (1994)|journal=Latina|publisher=Latina Media Ventures|year=2007|volume=11|page=128}}

}}

Even without a formal review, an editor for the website AllMusic gave Dicen Que Soy four stars out of five. An editor for Latina magazine wrote a positive review for the album calling her cover of "Nunca Voy a Olvidarte" "sensational" and "Vivir lo Nuestro" an "explosive live recording". India's recordings of "Ese Hombre" and "Dicen Que Soy" have been noted to be "anthems for female salsa lovers".{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_7NIe_I298MC&q=dicen+que+soy&pg=PA110|title=Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae|last1=Manuel|first1=Peter|last2=Bilby|first2=Kenneth|last3=Largey|first3=Michael |page=110|publisher=Temple University Press|date=August 10, 1995|isbn=9781592134649|access-date=March 23, 2014}}

At the 6th Lo Nuestro Awards ceremony in 1995, Dicen Que Soy received a nomination for "Tropical Album of the Year",{{cite news|url=http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-316066|title=Vives, Lo Nuestro|work=El Tiempo|publisher=Casa Editorial El Tiempo S.A.|date=April 21, 1995 |language=Spanish|access-date=January 15, 2014}} but lost to Siente el Amor... by Olga Tañón.{{cite web|url=http://i.univision.com/contentuvn/rinconlatino/plnuestro/images/index_historia.swf |title=Lo Nuestro – Historia |language=Spanish |work=Univision |publisher=Univision Communications |access-date=March 8, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626102925/http://i.univision.com/contentuvn/rinconlatino/plnuestro/images/index_historia.swf |archive-date=June 26, 2015 }} In the same year, the album won the award for "Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year by a Female Artist" at the second annual Billboard Latin Music Awards.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0QsEAAAAMBAJ&q=india+dicen+que+soy+awards&pg=PA54|title=Award-Winners Show Diversity of Latin Music|last=Lannert|first=John|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|volume=107|issue=23|page=54|issn=0006-2510|date=June 10, 1995|access-date=March 23, 2014}}

In the United States, it peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and number one on the Tropical Albums chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Dicen Que Soy has sold over 144,000 copies as of 2000.{{ref|Sales|A}}

{{Track listing

|all_music = Sergio George

| title1 = Nunca Voy A Olvidarte

| writer1 = Roberto Belester

| length1 = 04:58

| title2 = Que Ganas De No Verte Mas

| writer2 = Alejandro Venazzi

| length2 = 04:50

| title3 = Ese Hombre

| writer3 = {{flat list|

• Manuel Alejandro
• Ana Magdalena

}}

| length3 = 04:41

| title4 = Dicen Que Soy

| writer4 = {{flat list|

• Guadalupe "Lupillo" Garcia
• Sergio George

}}

| length4 = 04:42

| title5 = O Ella O Yo

| writer5 = Juan Carlos Calderón

| length5 = 05:05

| title6 = Dejate Amar

| writer6 = {{flat list|

• George
• India
• Shirley Marte

}}

| length6 = 05:05

| title7 = I Just Want To Hang Around You

| writer7 = {{flat list|

• Michael Sembello
• Daniel Sembello

}}

| length7 = 05:02

| title8 = No Me Conviene

| writer8 = {{flat list|

• George
• India
• Marte}}

| length8 = 04:48

| note8 = Featuring Tito Nieves

| title9 = Vivir Lo Nuestro [Bonus track]

| writer9 = Rudy Pérez

| note9 = With Marc Anthony

| length9 = 06:07

}}

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The following credits are from AllMusic and the Dicen Que Soy CD liner notes.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/dicen-que-soy-mw0000120140/credits|title=Dicen Que Soy — India: Credits|publisher=AllMusic. Rovi Corporation|access-date=March 24, 2014}}

{{div col}}

• Bobby Allende – bongos
• Richie Bastar – congas
• Luis Bonilla – trombone ("Nunca Voy a Olvidarte")
• Miguel Bonilla – arranger ("I Just Want to Hang Around You")
• William Cepeda – arranger ("Ese Hombre"), trombone
• Ronald Davidson – graphic design
• Eustace "Huey" Dunbar – background vocals
• Sammy García – congas
• Sergio George – arranger, music director, drum programming, engineer, keyboards, piano, producer, background vocals
• La India – lead vocals
• Ite Jerez – trumpet
• Ángel "Angie" Machado – trumpet ("Nunca Voy a Olvidarte")
• Damaris Mercado – art direction
• Ralph Mercado – executive producer
• Wes Naprstek – mixing assistant
• Tito Nieves – guest vocals ("No Me Conviene")
• Papo Pepin – congas
• Marc Quiñones – percussion, timbales
• Humberto Ramírez – arranger ("Que Ganas de No Verte Más")
• Johnny Rivera – background vocals
• Piro Rodriguez – trumpet
• Rubén Rodríguez – bass guitar
• Kurt Upper – mixing
• Albert Watson – photography

{{div col end}}

• 1994 in Latin music
• List of number-one Billboard Tropical Albums from the 1990s

A.{{Note|Sales}} According to the Recording Industry Association of America, sales for many salsa albums went unreported because venues selling the discs did not report to monitoring services.{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2000/apr/09/entertainment/ca-17469/2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324085006/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/apr/09/entertainment/ca-17469/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 24, 2014|title=Commanding Respect|last=Valdes-Rodriguez|first=Alisa|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 9, 2000|access-date=March 24, 2014|page=2}}

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Category:1994 albums

Category:La India albums

Category:RMM Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Sergio George

Category:1990s Spanish-language albums