Pau-Latina is the seventh studio album by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio, released on February 10, 2004, by Universal Music Latino. Musically, Rubio wanted to make a "futuristic folk", thus incorporating eclectic latin music in its sound with instrumentation from techno beats, guitars, drums, synthesizers, strings and spanish guitars musical instruments. Its themes range from love, dancing, friendship and feminist. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Emilio Estefan, Chris Rodríguez, Toy Hernández, Marzello Acevedo and Sergio George.
Upon its release, the album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and they considered it as the "follow-up" of her album Paulina (2000). The album debuted atop the Latin Albums Billboard charts in the United States and was certified double Latin Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album became another success for Rubio and sold at least 500,000 worldwide.
Four singles were released. It became Rubio's most successful era in the US Latin charts, being her first album to score four top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs, with "Te Quise Tanto", "Algo Tienes", "Dame Otro Tequila" and "Mía", two of these peaking at numbers one. Rubio promoted the album with television performances and the Pau-Latina Tour.
Background and production
Rubio first expressed her intent to re-record an "entire album in Spanish" at the Spanish press release of her first and only English album to date, Border Girl, in June, 2002. She also revealed that he wanted to collaborate with Manu Chao and Armando Manzanero, who composed the ballad "Tal Vez, Quizá", for his fifth studio album, Paulina (2000). Jorge Villamizar, lead member of Bacilos, told Billboard in September 2003, he co-wrote a track with her wife, Sandra Uribe, for Rubio's upcoming album. He revealed the name of the song: "Perros", and said that the singer record it in English and Spanish. In January 2004, a month before the album's release, Argentine composer Ferra announced that he and Reyli Barba wrote Rubio a song called "Amor Secreto", "a bolero, and the story is tender, very romantic. The song was chosen by Paulina and adaptations were made to it that she suggested."
Production and promotion
Pau-Latina marks Paulina's return to the Spanish-language market after her English debut album. For the production of the album, Paulina collaborated with songwriters and producers Chris Rodríguez, M. Benito, Andrés Levin, Ileana Padrón, Coti, Andahí, Adrian Schinoff, T. Méndez, E. Pérez, José de Jesús, Marco Antonio Solís, Jorge Villamizar, Xandra Uribe, Emilio Estefan, Ricardo Gaitán, Alberto Gaitán, Nicolás Tovar, Tony Mardini, Tom McWilliams, Juan Carlos Pérez-Soto, Reyli, Angie Chirino, Tim Mitchell, Clay Ostwald, C. Brant, Richard Vission, G. Brown, and A. Cee. Also, this is the second time since Planeta Paulina that Paulina participates as a songwriter in three of the album's tracks: "My Friend, Mi Amigo", "Baila Que Baila" y "Dame Tu Amor".
To promote the album Rubio started her first solo concert tour named Pau-Latina Tour.
Singles
Pau-Latina spawned four official singles, giving Paulina her first two number one hits on Latin radio in the U.S.: "Te Quise Tanto" and "Dame Otro Tequila". With this album, Paulina became one of the few artists to have four Top 10 singles from the same album on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.
"Te Quise Tanto" is Rubio's most successful single to date, which spent six non-consecutive weeks at #1 and earned several music awards. The album's third single, "Dame Otro Tequila", also climbed to #1 in December 2004. Although "Algo Tienes" and "Mía" were the only other two singles released by Rubio's record label, that did not prevent tracks like "My Friend, Mi Amigo", "Perros", "Alma En Libertad", and "Volverás" from gaining airplay with no promotion on behalf of Paulina's record label. Music videos released for the album were "Te Quise Tanto", "Algo Tienes", "Dame Otro Tequila", "Mia". Other songs that get airplay were: "My Friend, Mi Amigo", "Perros", "Alma en Libertad", "Volverás".