Let It Loose

Gloria Estefan And The Miami Sound Machine

Epic, 1987

http://www.gloriaestefan.com

REVIEW BY: Mark Millan

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/18/2010

Cuban-born chanteuse Gloria Estefan, her husband Emilo, and their band the Miami Sound Machine had been chipping away at the pop charts for years without much success for close to a decade by the time they scored their first hit “Conga” in 1985, from their ninth LP, Primitive Love. That single, along with a short tour to promote the album, gave the Latin community their first genuine pop star in the pretty and talented Gloria. With the Epic label now desperate to capitalize on their newfound stars, they encouraged the band to begin work on a record that they hoped would become a hit in both the mainstream and Latin markets.

This record would also be credited with Gloria’s name as opposed to just the band’s name in a bid to give the likes of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper a run for their money. Following the massive success of Let It Loose (a.k.a Anything For You in Europe), all future albums would simply be credited to just Gloria. They would also feature more of Gloria’s self-penned ballads, which were perfect for the video market and showcased her rather impressive singing voice. 

The album opens with a couple of spicy pop songs, “Betcha Say That” and “Let It Loose,” both of which are full of exuberance and an infectious energy that carries right through to the record’s end. As much fun as dance/pop gems like “Love Toy” and “Surrender” are, they merely fill the space between some genuine first-rate pop songs that would go on to become the big hits the band needed.  my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Of those four hit records, two are highly infectious dance tracks that still sound as energizing as ever, while two are Gloria’s own love songs. As great as the dance tracks are, for me, the most memorable moments here are the ballads. Gloria has a knack for writing incredibly honest and heartfelt love songs that never come across as mushy or unnecessary. That’s one of the things I love about her most, and there’s no better evidence of it than a song like “Anything For You,” which I believe was the album’s biggest hit and the one that really put the group on the map.

Musically, it’s a standard synth-laden ballad of its time, but lyrically it’s a direct and touching ballad that Gloria sings with passion and soul (“I’d still do anything for you, I’ll play your game / You hurt me through and through, but you can have your way”). I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point in our lives, and I know this song always takes me to a place and time that wasn’t so pleasant, but I never tire of hearing it. The other love song is “Can’t Stay Away From You,” which was also a sizable hit, and I believe the Spanish versions of both these songs were huge throughout South America.

Of the two dance tracks, “1-2-3” is a joyful and bubbly song that has become a real fan-favorite over the years and it still gets a vigorous workout during Estefan’s live shows. “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” is the one that really solidified the success of this disc. It’s one of the great pop songs of the ‘80s and was also a massive crossover hit for the group.

The only flat spots on this exceptional record are the rather daft, fluffy pop of “Give It Up” and a horribly sappy love song (not penned by Gloria) “I Want You Bad.” Those two songs were written by the group’s main songwriting team at the time, who also produced the record with Emilio. However, after the four songs written (or co-written) by Gloria all became hit singles, she went on to take more control of future albums. In addition, this was the last record to feature the group’s name, as all future projects would be credited simply to Gloria Estefan.

Let It Loose made Gloria a star and she has never looked back since. This record still sounds fabulous and the hits still get major airtime on classic pop radio stations both here in Australia and around the globe. It remains one of the group’s strongest efforts and one of the most fun and infectious pop albums of the ‘80s.

Rating: A-

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