Sound Loaded

The second English language album from the Latin superstar leads off with the hit single 'She Bangs', which may indeed repeat the success of 'Livin La Vida Loca' Includes an exclusive track available ONLY in Europe: 'Cambia La Pie.'

Sound Loaded, Ricky Martin's follow-up to his self-titled 1999 triumph, is a marvel as much of cross-country technological wizardry as of a multicultural pop sensibility. "She Bangs," its first single, was made in seven locations from Miami to Hollywood; all the work results in a gratifying everything-and-the-kitchen-sink uptempo extravaganza. (The details include a sampled nod to Fishbone, an apparent influence on 1999's "Livin' la Vida Loca," and the delightful malapropism "She looks like a flower but she stings like a bee.") If the rest of the disc never quite matches that high, neither does its quality sink much; if anything, Sound Loaded may be a bigger cut-for-cut success than its predecessor. The winners are mostly similar dancefloor rockers, but the ballads generally skirt the edge of treacle. Spanish versions of "She Bangs," "Come to Me," and "Loaded" are additions to the dozen cuts in English. --Rickey Wright