Artist: Marc Anthony Album: Mended Released: 2002 Genre:Latin, Pop Country: USA Duration: 00:57:20
After several release date shuffles, Marc Anthony issued his sophomore English-language set, Mended, in 2002, shortly after issuing Libre, another excellent Spanish-language salsa album. (Note that both album covers are from the same photo shoot.) Mended delivers more of Anthony's passionate, urgent songs of love and betrayal, destined for mass consumption, which is what his English-speaking fans have been clamoring for. Shining moments include the fiery and exotic single 'I've Got You,' which also closes off the album as the Spanish-language track 'Te Tengo Aquí,' the sexy, mid-tempo 'Love Won't Get Any Better,' and the album's true highlight, the gutsy, electric, and relentless 'Tragedy.' That song, incidentally, was slated to be the album's first single, and had begun receiving radio play in the U.S., but was pulled after the events of September 11th. Despite these surefire hits, the album is weighted down by quite a bit of unremarkable material, including 'I Reach for You' and 'Give Me a Reason,' the latter of which seems borderline listless. And the ballads -- oh, the melodrama! None of the many ballads come close to the soaring heights of 'You Sang to Me,' the closest of which, 'I Wanna Be Free,' still doesn't match the beauty of that earlier hit. The lyrics are gooey, and the songs seem quite middle of the road, although 'Everything You Do,' which could have easily come off as pure schlock, winds up being quite likable. So, despite some remarkable moments and Anthony's always excellent singing, the almost too exquisitely produced Mended seems somewhat anticlimactic, which is a shame, considering the breadth of Marc Anthony's undeniable talent.

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Marc Anthony is a multi-talented singer, dancer, actor, songwriter, producer, and fashion designer, plus one of the world's biggest pop stars. He is the top-selling salsa artist of all time and considered the only rightful heir to the throne of the late Hector Lavoe -- whom he played in a controversial Hollywood biopic. He has sold tens of millions of recordings and won multiple Grammys, Latin Grammys, and other awards. He has appeared in starring or support roles in numerous films including The Substitute, Big Night, Hackers, and Blue in the Face; he starred as Lavoe in El Cantante, in the television series Hawthorne, and in Broadway productions such as Paul Simon's The Capeman. Anthony's tours have been constant sell-outs since 1999, and he has placed many albums in the Top 200, beginning with 1997's Contra La Corriente and continuing through the second decade of the 21st century (3.0 in 2013). Obviously, there is little Anthony hasn't accomplished during his long, distinguished career and he continues perfecting his salsa chops and exploring new trends, from hip-hop to trap to electro.Instructed in music theory and composition by his father, Anthony grew up listening to Latin musicians, including Rubén Blades, Hector Lavoe, and Willie Colón, and contemporary pop recordings by Air Supply and José Feliciano. At age 12, Anthony and his sister were discovered by David Harris, a producer of demos and commercials; Anthony was hired to sing background on several productions. His songwriting skills became evident, and an early composition, 'Boy, I've Been Told,' became a Top 40 hip-hop hit for school friend Safire. Anthony subsequently sang background vocals on Safire's debut album. He also sang on albums by the Latin Rascals and Menudo. Teaming with producer and disc jockey Little Louie Vega, Anthony recorded his debut album, When the Night Is Over, in 1991. The Latin hip-hop-style album, which featured guest appearances by Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri, included the single 'Ride on the Rhythm,' which reached the top slot on Billboard's dance music charts. On November 22, 1991, Anthony was the opening act on a show at Madison Square Garden that celebrated Puente's 100th album release. Anthony's second album, Otra Nota (produced and arranged by Sergio George), was a better representation of Anthony's salsa roots and included the original tune 'Juego o Amor.' Todo a Su Tiempo, released in 1995, was a continuation of Anthony's collaboration with George. With his fourth album, Contra la Corriente, Anthony began working with producer/arranger Angel 'Cucco' Peña, and it won the 1999 Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance. A self-titled English-language album released in 1999 was an overt attempt at crossing over to the mainstream, and it did reach the Top Ten of the main Billboard album chart, with 'I Need to Know' peaking at number three. While 2002's Mended was an even greater commercial success, Anthony continued to release Spanish-language albums that were closer to his roots, like 2001's Libre and 2004's Amar sin Mentiras. His profile was only raised by starring as salsa legend Héctor Lavoe in 2007's El Cantante, which co-starred his wife, Jennifer Lopez. All of the Lavoe songs in the film were sung by Anthony, and the El Cantante soundtrack album was released featuring these versions. In 2010 he released another Latin album, Iconos, on which he covered classic pop ballads. Anthony and Lopez separated in 2011, eventually divorcing in 2012, but continued to work together on the Latin talent search show Q'Viva! The Chosen. Anthony appeared on Robi Draco Rosa's comeback-from-cancer recording Vida in the spring of 2013. He also issued 'Vivir Mi Vida,' which topped Billboard's Latin Songs chart for 18 straight weeks, making it the longest-running number one salsa single of all time. His highly anticipated return-to-salsa album, 3.0, was released in July, his first release of original tropical material in nearly a decade. The album received a Latin Grammy for Recording of the Year. After years on television and in cinema, Anthony undertook his 'Legacy Tour' in 2018 during which he revisited music from throughout his career. In September he dropped the multi-platinum-selling Latin trap jam 'Está Rico' with Bad Bunny and Will Smith and duetted with Prince Royce on the singer's hit 'Adicto.' The tour went so well that Anthony extended it into 2019, and in February released the salsa-cum-bachata single 'Tu Vida en la Mía' as a pre-release for an upcoming salsa offering in the spring. ~ Craig Harris