Ojalá Que Llueva Café

Ojalá que llueva Café
Studio album by Juan Luis Guerra
Released	June 1989 (June 1989)
Recorded	1988–89
Studio	Estudios EMCA (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
Genre	Merengue bachata
Length	32:05
Label
Producer	Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra chronology
Mientras Más Lo Pienso...Tú (1987) Ojalá que llueva Café (1989) Bachata Rosa (1990)
Singles from Ojalá que llueva café
"Ojalá que llueva café" Released: June 1989 "Reina Mia" Released: 1989 "Visa Para Un Sueño" Released: 1989 "Woman Del Callao" Released: 1989 "De Tu Boca" Released: 1989

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Billboard	(favorable)[2]

Ojalá que llueva café (Spanish for "Hopefully It Will Rain Coffee") is the fourth studio album by Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra. It is considered one of his most emblematic and important albums. The album set the musical path for his later albums, re-formulating Dominican merengue and bachata music through the contemporary elements of pop, rock, salsa, or jazz and incorporating socially conscious lyrics with danceable merengues and romantic-poetic bachatas.

The album received universal acclaim and is considered one of his best albums. Critics praised the artistic growth and innovation it demonstrated. Mariano Prumes from Allmusic wrote "his first masterpiece and the album that made him a star".^[3] The album contained many of his classic hits including the rock/blues-influenced "Woman del Callao", the title track "Ojalá que llueva café," "Visa Para un Sueño," and the gospel-influenced "La Gallera" contained socially conscious lyrics.

The title track, "Ojalá que llueva café," is considered one of his most emblematic and recognized songs. It is even considered part of the folklore of Dominican Republic. The song is a metaphor for the difficult economic conditions and situation that many go through in small towns in Latin America. Its music video (directed by Peyi Guzmán) is considered one of the best music videos in Dominican history.^[4] The song was later covered by Café Tacuba on their album Avalancha de Éxitos. "Visa Para Un Sueño" refers to the struggle that many Dominicans go through to obtain a visa to be able to travel and live in the United States to escape the poor working and social conditions they face in the Dominican Republic.

Commercially, the project became Juan Luis Guerra's breakthrough album, with which he established himself as a superstar throughout Latin America and Europe. Also, it was his first album to gain international commercial success, topping the charts in many Latin American countries and Europe. In the United States, it was the third best selling tropical album of 1990. It sold over 2.5 million copies, including 400,000 copies in Spain.^[5] Following the success of Bachata Rosa (1990) and Areíto (1992), album sales remained strong due to having reached new audiences. To promote the record, Guerra embarked on the Ojalá que llueva Café Tour (1990-1991).^{[3][6][7][8][9]}

Background[]

Mundaza y Acarreo and Mientras Mas Lo Pienso... Tu were the first comercial successful works of the band selling over two millions of copies between Latin America and United States.^[10]

At the beginning of the recording sessions, the singer Maridalia Hernández resigned from the group to continue her career as a soloist. Following her departure, the musician and composer Marco Hernández and the singer Milagros Taveras were incorporated. On a joint tour of Juan Luis Guerra and his group with fellow Dominicans Rubby Pérez and Sergio Vargas, through Venezuela, the bus that was transporting the musicians had an accident in which percussionist Ángel Miro Andújar, nicknamed "Catarey", died. July 17, 1988. Upon returning from the failed tour, Milagros Taveras separated from the group and Guerra did not want to continue leading the group, falling into a kind of "lethargy."^[11]

However, Bienvenido Rodríguez, president of Karen Records, convinced Guerra that the best tribute he could do to the deceased musician was to record again. Guerra composed the song "Ángel para una tambora" in honor of Andújar and replaced the deceased musician with the percussionist Juan De la Cruz. After this, Guerra recorded the title track "Ojalá que llueva café", which was the first single released in June 1989, and included the participation of the Dominican children's choir "Retoños," in which Laura Rivera Taveras, daughter of Milagros Taveras, sang. This song became the most emblematic social song of the highly successful Guerra, whose video clip was directed by Peyi Guzmán and shot in the Southern Region of the Dominican Republic and was named to the first place of Top 15 Best Dominican music videos of all times.^[12]

This album includes "Razones," which was Guerra's second foray into the salsa genre since the LP record "Soplando," for whose recording sessions the musicians included the Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Due to the wide dissemination of the music of the now defunct Venezuelan musical group Un solo pueblo, Guerra included in the sessions, the calypso "Woman del Callao" by the Venezuelan singer-songwriter Julio Delgado. Later, "Woman del Callao", "Visa for a dream" and "De tu boca" were released, of which a remixed version was made. Some time later, Karen Records released a CD version of the album that respected the order of the songs from Side "A" to "B" in said edition.

Critical reception[]

The album received universal acclaim from critics and music fans. For many, it is considered his best album and his most emblematic.

Carlos Agudelo, from the section of Latin Notas of Billboard, praised the musical structure of the album and wrote, "Practically all the songs, while keeping the freshness and happiness of tropical music, are almost experimental pieces that seek to blend merengue with such genres as pop and jazz." He also praised the lyrical content and stated, they "are truly poetic and meaningful, deep expressions of the Caribbean popular experience. With their music, Guerra and his partners -classically educated musicians -have given merengue another, richer dimension"

Commercial reception[]

In the United States, Ojalá que llueva café debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Tropical Albums for the week of September 9, 1989. It peaked at number 2. It peaked at number 3 on the Miami Latin LPs sales. In Puerto Rico, the album debuted at number four on the Cashbox Puerto Rican LPs for the week November 25, 1989. It later peaked at number 1. It was the third best selling Top Tropical/Salsa of 1990 in the United States, and Juan Luis Guerra and 4.40 was named Top Selling Tropical/Salsa Latin of 1990.^[13] Following the massive success of the following records, album sales for Ojalá que llueva café remained strong for the next years. It was 17th Best selling tropical album in the United States of 1993.^[14][15][16]

In Spain, the album was released in June 1990. It peaked at number 2 behind his own Bachata Rosa. As of August 1991, it sold over 270,000 copies. It eventually sold more than 400,000 in the country.

Ojalá que llueva café is considered the album that made Juan Luis Guerra a global superstar status and Latin Sensation. Also, it was his first album to top the charts in many Latin American and European countries and to have had significant sales. As of the end of 1993, it had sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

The lead single "Ojalá que llueva café" was his first single to debut on the US Hot Latin Tracks, at number 27 for the week of October 14, 1989, and reached number 21.^[17][18]

Tour[]

To promote the album, Guerra Embarked on the Ojala Que Llueva Cafe Tour (1989-1991) which included sold out converts at New York's Madison Square Garden and Miami's James Knight Center, as well as venues in many Latin American countries.^[19] In Puerto Rico, he performed on April 6, 7, and 8, 1991 at the Centro de Bellas Artes.^[20] Also, he performed at Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas, Venezuela, and Altos de Chavon Amphitheater in La Romana, Dominican Republic.^[21]

Track listing[]

1. "Visa Para un Sueño" – 3:30
2. "Ojalá que llueva café" (merencumbia) – 4:12
3. "Razones" (salsa) – 3:59
4. "De Tu Boca" – 4:42
5. "La Gallera" – 3:56
6. "Woman del Callao" – 4:23
7. "Reina Mía" – 4:03
8. "Ángel Para una Tambora" (merencumbia) – 3:18

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

References[]